Supreme Court: Acting upon the report of the Medical Board at KEM Hospital and Medical College, Mumbai, constituted to medically examine the petitioner, a rape survivor, the Court said that that the risk to the petitioner of continuation of her pregnancy, can gravely endanger her physical and mental health. The Court, hence, made an exception and held that it is permissible to allow the petitioner to abort the 24 week-old foetus in terms of Section 5 of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. As per Section 5 of the Act, the termination of pregnancy, which is necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman, is permissible.
On 22.07.2016, the bench comprising of JS Khehar and Arun Mishra, JJ. had directed the Maharashtra Government to set up a medical board to examine the rape survivor who sought permission to terminate her 24 week old foetus and the medical examination was directed to be conducted on 23.07.2016. The Medical Board had advised against the continuation of pregnancy and had noticed that in view of severe multiple congenital anomalies, the fetus is not compatible with extra-uterine life and that the pregnancy might endanger the health of the petitioner. [Ms. X. v. Union of India, 2016 SCC OnLine SC 745, decided on 25.07.2016]