In Brief
A 22-year-old pregnant woman approached the Supreme Court seeking permission to terminate her pregnancy after discovering severe fetal abnormalities (anencephaly)—a condition making survival outside the womb impossible and threatening the mother's life. A medical board confirmed the fetus had no skull and would not survive, while continuation posed grave dangers to the mother's physical and mental health. The Court held that a woman's right to bodily integrity and reproductive autonomy under Article 21 protects her informed choice to terminate pregnancy when medically necessary to preserve her own life. The petition was allowed, directing medical termination under medical supervision.
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