Allowed To Abort 25 Week Disabled Baby

Another unborn baby with a disability is scheduled to be killed this week in India after a court gave the baby’s mother an exception to the 20-week abortion ban.

The India Express reports the mother, 28, requested an abortion exception after, three weeks ago, she learned that her unborn child is suffering from serious neurological and skeletal problems. She currently is 25 weeks pregnant.

Abortions are illegal after 20 weeks of pregnancy in India. However, women or their families increasingly have been petitioning the high court for permission to abort their unborn babies after the limit, especially in cases involving fetal abnormalities or sexual assault.

At 20 weeks, an unborn baby already is fully formed and close to the point of viability (about 23 weeks). Later-term abortions also are risky and can be deadly for the mother.

On Monday, the Bombay High Court granted the woman’s request for an abortion, the Times of India reports. The court based its decision on a report by a panel of doctors, which stated that the baby likely would not live to adulthood. The doctors said there also were risks to the woman’s health.

“We have gone through the exhaustive report and opinions of medical experts. After evaluation of the petitioner, the report has concluded that there are multiple serious neurological and skeletal abnormalities in the foetus,” Justices S M Kemkar said in the decision.

“Hence, we deem it appropriate to permit the petitioner to undergo medical termination of the foetus. We direct the procedure to be performed tomorrow at the J J Hospital,” the court ordered.

About a month ago, the Supreme Court of India granted another exception for a woman whose unborn baby had potentially fatal kidney problems. She was 31 weeks pregnant.

In August, the high court gave another Mumbai-area woman permission to abort her unborn baby at 26 weeks after doctors said the baby had a potentially fatal disorder. Doctors at JJ Hospital who examined the woman and her unborn baby said the baby did not have a skull and probably would not survive, according to the Indian Express. The doctors also said the woman was experiencing “immense mental agony.”

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