September 29
Thursday’s decision by the Supreme Court gave unmarried and single women with pregnancies between 20 and 24 weeks the same access to safe and legal abortion care as married women.
It has ruled that the distinction between married and unmarried women in this matter is unconstitutional and that all women have the right to safe and legal abortion.
The court said depriving single or unmarried women of the right to abort an unwanted pregnancy is a violation of fundamental rights.
The Bench had reserved judgment in the case on 23rd of August.
The case started when a 25-year-old single woman requested a pregnancy termination at 23 weeks and 5 days, claiming that her pregnancy was the result of a consenting relationship.
She was unable to give birth to the baby though because she was still single and her partner had declined to marry her.
However, a division bench of the Delhi High Court refused interim relief to her.
