<h2>Overview</h2>
<p>The <span class="key-term" data-definition="Supreme Court — India’s apex judicial body that interprets the Constitution and its decisions are binding on all courts (GS2: Polity)">Supreme Court</span> in 2026 permitted a 15‑year‑old girl to terminate a seven‑month pregnancy, reiterating that unwanted pregnancies cannot be forced on a woman. The judgment anchored <span class="key-term" data-definition="reproductive autonomy — the right of an individual to decide freely about procreation, contraception and termination of pregnancy, linked to dignity and bodily integrity (GS2: Polity)">reproductive autonomy</span> in <span class="key-term" data-definition="Article 21 — constitutional guarantee of the right to life and personal liberty, interpreted to include privacy, dignity and bodily integrity (GS2: Polity)">Article 21</span> of the Constitution.</p>
<h3>Key Developments</h3>
<ul>
<li>2026: <strong>Supreme Court</strong> overturns Delhi High Court’s refusal and orders termination, emphasizing the state’s duty to respect a citizen’s choice.</li>
<li>2021: <strong>Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act</strong> amended, extending permissible abortion from 20 to 24 weeks and introducing a medical‑board review for cases beyond 24 weeks.</li>
<li>1994: <strong>Pre‑Conception and Pre‑Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act</strong> enacted to curb sex‑selective abortions.</li>
<li>2021: <strong>Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act</strong> and <strong>Surrogacy (Regulation) Act</strong> introduced to regulate IVF clinics and altruistic surrogacy respectively.</li>
<li>2017: <span class="key-term" data-definition="privacy — recognised by the Supreme Court as a fundamental right, forming the basis for reproductive‑choice jurisprudence (GS2: Polity)">privacy</span> declared a fundamental right, paving the way for later abortion judgments.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Important Facts</h3>
<ul>
<li>Under the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act — law governing abortion in India; permits termination up to 24 weeks, with special categories allowed up to 24 weeks and a medical board required after 24 weeks (GS2: Polity)">MTP Act</span>, a woman can seek termination up to 20 weeks on her own consent. Between 20‑24 weeks, only minors, rape survivors, mentally ill or differently‑abled women are eligible.</li>
<li>Beyond 24 weeks, a three‑member medical board in an approved facility may approve termination only for substantial fetal anomalies.</li>
<li>The identity of the woman is kept confidential; minors need guardian consent, not court approval.</li>
<li>The <span class="key-term" data-definition="PCPNDT Act — legislation that bans prenatal sex determination to prevent female feticide, reflecting India’s effort to correct skewed sex ratios (GS2: Polity)">PCPNDT Act</span> criminalises sex‑selection tests.</li>
<li>The <span class="key-term" data-definition="Assisted Reproductive Technology (Re">
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