Abortion in India is legal only up to 20 weeks of pregnancy
Q. Currently, abortion in India is legal only up to ____?- Published on 16 Mar 16a. 10 weeks
b. 20 weeks
c. 8 weeks
d. 12 weeks
ANSWER: 20 weeks
- Currently, abortion in India is legal only up to 20 weeks of pregnancy under specific conditions and situations.
- The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act of India clearly states the conditions under which a pregnancy can be ended or aborted, the persons who are qualified to conduct the abortion and the place of implementation. Some of these qualifications are as follows:
1. Women whose physical and/or mental health were endangered by the pregnancy
2. Women facing the birth of a potentially handicapped or malformed child
3. Rape
4. Pregnancies in unmarried girls under the age of eighteen with the consent of a guardian
5. Pregnancies in "lunatics" with the consent of a guardian
6. Pregnancies that are a result of failure in sterilization
- An adult woman requires no other person's consent except her own.
- Pregnancies not exceeding 12 weeks may be terminated based on a single opinion formed in good faith. In case of pregnancies exceeding 12 weeks but less than 20 weeks, termination needs opinion of two doctors.