HC asks hospital to form panel to see if woman with chronic illness can undergo abortion
New Delhi, The Delhi High Court has directed Safdarjung Hospital to form a medical board to ascertain if a 29-week pregnant woman suffering from a chronic kidney disease could undergo abortion.
Justice Sachin Datta said in case the medical board opined that the termination of pregnancy was warranted, the hospital would proceed with procedure on the 39-year-old woman.
"It is directed that a medical board be constituted at the Safdarjung hospital for the examination of the petitioner, for the purpose of assessing whether the present case qualifies for medical termination of pregnancy under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act , 1971," the high court said.
In its May 29 order, the court called it a matter of medical emergency in which the woman's life was in danger though no foetal abnormality was diagnosed.
The woman moved the high court seeking permission to terminate her pregnancy, which was of 27 weeks at the time, as doctors opined a serious risk to the her life if the pregnancy continued.
She moved the court as doctors expressed their inability to proceed due to the statutory restrictions under the MTP Act, limiting such procedures to 20 weeks in ordinary cases and 24 weeks in certain categories such as rape survivors.
The woman said she was undergoing treatment for her condition at a private hospital in Gurugram and she learnt about her pregnancy only on April 22.
She subsequently approached Safdarjung Hospital in the national capital and over the following few weeks, the doctors conducted a series of tests, informing her about her 27-week pregnancy on May 19 and the complications it posed.
Safdarjung Hospital was represented by senior panel counsel Farman Ali.
During the hearing, the judge interacted with a doctor of the hospital through video-conferencing when she informed about the petitioner's chronic kidney disease, warranting the termination of her pregnancy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
5 hours ago
- India Today
Court orders preservation of dead man's semen as mother seeks it for lineage
The Bombay High Court has directed a Mumbai-based fertility centre to preserve the frozen semen of a 21-year-old cancer patient who died earlier this year, after his mother approached the court seeking to use it to continue the family's mother, a resident of Santacruz in Mumbai, told the court that her son had been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma — a rare form of bone and soft tissue cancer. Before starting chemotherapy, his oncologist advised the family to freeze his semen as the aggressive treatment could affect his to the mother's petition, the family was confident the young man would recover, but were unaware that he had independently signed a consent form instructing the fertility centre to destroy his semen if he did not survive. The family, which now comprises only women following the deaths of the father and uncle, said the son was the sole male heir. The 21-year-old passed away on February 16 this year. Amid their bereavement, the family requested the fertility centre to transfer the preserved semen to a facility in Gujarat for further medical advice. However, the centre refused without a legal directive, citing the man's signed with no other option, the mother wrote to various government offices but received no response. She then filed a petition in the Bombay High plea came up before Justice Manish Pitale, who observed that the matter raises significant questions about how semen or gametes should be handled after the donor's death under the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, and its rules. "This becomes particularly significant in the present case, for the reason that the deceased, being the son of the petitioner, was unmarried at the time of his death," Justice Pitale for the Union of India, Advocate Yashodeep Deshmukh referred to a pre-ART Act judgement of the Delhi High Court, where frozen semen was handed over to the parents of a person. However, he pointed out that unlike that case, the young man here had explicitly opted for disposal of his samples after his court also took note that in the Delhi High Court judgement, directions had been issued to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to consider framing appropriate laws or guidelines for posthumous sought time to verify whether any such guidelines now exist under the ART to ensure that the mother's plea does not become futile, the Bombay High Court ordered the fertility centre to preserve the frozen semen until the matter is decided.- EndsMust Watch
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Indian Express
Delhi drugs control department cracks down on sale of fake cholesterol medicines
The Delhi drugs control department recently uncovered a multi-level distribution network involved in the sale and circulation of spurious Rosuvas F 20 tablets, a prescription drug used to manage cholesterol and triglyceride levels, officials said on Friday. The action followed a complaint from Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, which reported that fake versions of its Rosuvas F 20 tablets were being sold by a retail outlet in central Delhi. The complaint mentioned a multi-level supply chain involving multiple wholesalers and distributors across the city. Rosuvas F 20 is a fixed-dose combination drug containing Rosuvastatin (20 mg) and Fenofibrate (160 mg). It is commonly prescribed to patients who require medication to manage high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, especially when lifestyle changes alone are not sufficient. The drug plays a vital role in preventing serious cardiovascular conditions such as heart attacks and strokes. Drugs control department officials said Rosuvas F 20 tablets were a fast-moving drug, and on June 14 and 15, 1,800 spurious tablets worth Rs 88,000 were seized from two locations in Okhla and Bhagirath Palace. 'On June 14, we first received a complaint from Rajinder Nagar, but no stock was found. A link was established in Okhla and Bhagirath Palace, where raids were conducted,' an official said. Officials noted irregularities and a suspicious absence of genuine stock at several distribution points, which ultimately led them to a firm located in the Okhla Industrial Area. 'Visual inspection and comparison with authentic samples suggested that the seized products were spurious — their appearance and packaging did not match those of the legitimate manufacturer,' said an official. Here, additional suspect stock of Rosuvas F 20 was found. Legal samples were collected from Bhagirath Palace, Chandni Chowk—one of Delhi's busiest medicine markets—and sent to a government laboratory for quality testing, while manufacturer verification is also underway, officials revealed. The department has secured custody permission for the seized drugs through the Delhi High Court. 'We are now coordinating with authorities in other states to trace the full supply chain behind the fake medication,' the official said.
Time of India
16 hours ago
- Time of India
Minor seeks permission from Delhi high court to terminate pregnancy after sexual assault, HC asks AIIMS for report
New Delhi: A 16-year-old minor victim of sexual assault sought the Delhi High Court 's nod on Friday to terminate her 26-week-old pregnancy. Taking note of her plight, HC asked for a report about the feasibility of carrying out the termination procedure from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after it was informed that, on intimation of the police, the hospital set up a board on Friday itself. "Keeping in mind the urgency cited, the above medical board is directed to conduct the necessary medical examination and to give the requisite report. Let such report be transmitted to this Court in a sealed envelope on or before 30 June 2025, or the investigating officer of the case would be permitted to collect such sealed envelope, containing the report, from the concerned medical board," Justice Manoj Jain noted. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi The girl, who was sexually assaulted twice, moved the court through her mother and informed her that she is currently at an approximate 26-week gestational period as per the latest ultrasound findings. Since the current gestational age is beyond the permissible limit of 24 weeks, the mother sought the intervention of the HC for termination of the pregnancy, claiming that the minor learnt only on 21 June 2025 that she was pregnant. Through their counsel, the mother-daughter duo said she wants to terminate the pregnancy arising out of the alleged sexual assault and sought that a medical board be constituted to submit its medical opinion in terms of Section 3(2)(b) of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. The plea also sought a clear direction to the authorities to medically terminate such pregnancy as she is not willing to continue with it. It was also submitted that since the pregnancy is a direct consequence of sexual assault, the anguish caused by such pregnancy is required to be presumed as a grave injury to her mental health. Aware of the urgency of the situation, as the minor is a victim of sexual assault, the court asked AIIMS to immediately examine the victim and furnish a report so that it can take a call if she is fit to undergo the procedure. Last year, the HC, in a separate matter of a widow suffering from depression, recalled its nod for termination of the fetus after AIIMS, where the woman was medically examined, opined against it. In its report, AIIMS said as per the MTP Act, the provision of termination of pregnancies beyond 24 weeks is to be done for fetuses having significant abnormalities and "feticide in this case is neither justified nor ethical as the fetus is grossly normal. "
