Supreme Court refuses to entertain plea seeking permission to abort 26-week-old foetus

A bench of Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao, which had on February 23 constituted a medical board to examine the 37-year-old woman, listed the matter for tomorrow as the first item.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today refused to allow a woman's plea to abort her 26-week old foetus suffering from 'down syndrome'.

A bench of Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao, which had on February 23 constituted a medical board to examine the 37-year-old woman, took into record report of medical experts that there is no danger to life of baby and mother if the pregnancy continued.

The court had earlier asked the medical board comprising doctors of Mumbai-based KEM Hospital to file a report before it about her condition and advisability of permitting a medical termination of pregnancy, forthwith.

The bench said as per the report, the foetus is "likely to have mental and physical challenges" but the advise of the doctors does not warrant termination of pregnancy.

"With this report, we don't think we are going to allow termination of pregnancy. We have a life in our hands," the bench said.

"In these circumstances, as per the present advise, it is not possible to grant permission to terminate the pregnancy," the court said.

Down syndrome is a congenital disorder which causes intellectual impairment and physical abnormalities.