The Supreme Court issued its ruling in the medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) case on Thursday, declaring that all women have the right to have an abortion.
“A woman’s marital status cannot be used as a justification to deny her the right to end an undesired pregnancy. According to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act and its regulations, single and unmarried women have the right to an abortion up until 24 weeks of pregnancy,” the judge stated.
The Supreme Court ruled that marital rape counts as rape for abortion reasons.
According to the court’s decision, it would be against the spirit of Article 14 to deny married women access to abortions while permitting single or unmarried pregnant women with pregnancies between 20 and 24 weeks.
The court’s ruling read in part, “The idea that marriage is a requirement for a person’s rights is being discredited by law in the modern day. The MTP act must take current circumstances into account and not be constrained by outdated conventions. The law must adapt to changing social situations and not be stagnant.”
According to the Supreme Court, if a minor requests an abortion under the POSCO Act, registered medical petitioners are not required to reveal the minor’s name.
