The Health Ministry recommends making abortion legal for all the unmarried woman. Irrespective of their marital status, a woman should be legally allowed to abort her fetus if a failed contraceptive led to her pregnancy, said one of the Health Ministry’s recommendations for amending the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act. The rule currently applies only to married women.
Health Ministry To Allow Abortion For Unmarried Women
The Health Ministry in its recommendations for amending the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act has said a woman opting for abortion irrespective of whether she is married or single, should be given the choice. “We are very keen to push for these amendments,” a senior ministry official said, explaining that they had made the recommendation after “due consultations with various stakeholders." According to Scroll, the amendment would need Cabinet and Parliament approval. A Cabinet note on the matter, prepared by the Home Ministry, will be taken up soon, the official said.
At present, the law recognizes the failure of contraceptive as a legal reason for abortion only if the woman is married. The official said a lot of maternal deaths occur due to improper abortions by untrained people. As reported by Indian Express, once the amendments are passed in the Parliament, the ministry will elaborate on implementation of the law by notifying rules. The proposed amendments also include extending the gestation period from 20 weeks to 24 weeks.
More Recommendation From Health Ministry
Among other recommendations made by the ministry include training homeopaths, midwives and nurses to conduct non-invasive abortions, as a abortions carried out by untrained medicos often resulted in maternal deaths. These amendments would come as a relief for single women looking to end their pregnancy legally. On the other hand, homeopathy is a system of medicine which involves treating the individual with highly diluted substances, given mainly in tablet form, with the aim of triggering the body's natural system of healing.
