Discriminating between married and unmarried women under Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, is against the Constitutional. The Supreme Court has delivered an important verdict in this connection and stated that discrimination between married, unmarried, rape victims, in live-in relationship or even rape by married partner cannot and should not be made.
The 2021 amendment in Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act does not discriminate and removing unmarried women or those in live-in relations is not advisable. Traditionally only married women are supposed to have sexual relation. This discrimination is not accepted in the mo0dern world. The Act permits medical termination of pregnancy up to 24 weeks.
The court after hearing on August 23, had reserved the verdict on the issue. The final decision was announced on Thursday by the Supreme Court.