The Delhi High Court has asked the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here to constitute a Medical Board of Doctors to examine the advisability of aborting a 22-week-plus pregnancy of a woman whose twin foetus suffer from ‘Dandy Walker Malformation’, a rare congenital brain abnormality.
Justice Rekha Palli asked AIIMS Medical Board to formulate a report on the feasibility of the woman undergoing a medical termination of her pregnancy keeping in view of the fact that the pregnancy has already completed more than 22 weeks.
In India, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act stipulates a ceiling of 20 weeks, for termination of pregnancy, beyond which abortion of a foetus is statutorily impermissible.
The woman, along with her husband, had informed the High Court that on a medical examination by the Genetics Unit at AIIMS, coupled with the report of the radiologist, it has been discovered that the twin foetuses suffer from posterior fossa abnormality, which is a rare congenital brain malformation and a substantive foetal abnormality.
The woman and her husband stated that they are aware of the risks involved in terminating the pregnancy at this stage. The court will hear the case again on May 25.
