New Delhi :
Sources close to Health Ministry on Monday said that the government may soon bring amendments in Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act , that would open window to allow unmarried women to opt for abortion if contraception fails.
Health Ministry will send its recommendation gets necessary Cabinet and Parliamentary nod.
The Ministry in its recommendations for amending the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act has said a woman opting for abortion irrespective of whether she is married or single, should be given the choice to go for abortion.
"We are very keen to push these amendments. We have done all due consultations with various stakeholders. We have said any woman who wants an abortion, whether she is single or married, can opt for it," a senior Health Ministry official said.
The ministry has also recommended allowing homeopaths, nurses and midwives to conduct non-invasive abortions withtraining. He said the Cabinet note regarding this has been prepared by the Ministry which will be taken up shortly.
Presently, As per The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, Where any pregnancy occurs as a result of failure of any device or method used by any married woman or her husband for the purpose of limiting the number of children, the anguish caused by such unwanted pregnancy may be resumed to constitute a grave injury to the mental health of the pregnant woman.
"We have also recommended that we will expand the bas eand include Auxiliary Nursing Midwife (ANM) as well as doctors practising AYUSH like homeopathy and other traditional medicines," another official said.
Sources said the Ministry is "very keen" to push for theamendments as it will also bring a lot of relief to single women who want to terminate pregnancy in a legal manner. Sources said once the amendments is passed in theParliament, the ministry will elaborate on implementation ofthe law by notifying rules. The proposed amendments also include extending thegestation period from 20 weeks to 24 weeks.
(with input from agencies)
