“I honestly feel justice would have only been served if termination was allowed. According to the report submitted by the expert committee, both paediatrics as well as cardiologists, all suggested termination,” he added.

Noted Delhi-based pediatrician Dr Sunil Mehra urges caution while coming to conclusions based on one case. “The law that we have is in line with the rights-based approach to human life and probably no court would ever say that you are allowed to abort the child after 20 weeks of pregnancy. If the court had allowed it, the misuse would be very heavy. The worry is foeticide. We are already a country where we are managing strict laws for making sure that such malpractice is removed.”

But Tank’s view is echoed by experts who say that the child’s abnormality should have been the focus instead of the age of the foetus.

“A lot of suffering is involved in bringing up an abnormal child. In this case, it is clear that the child will have to be fitted with a pacemaker every few years. Most civilized countries allow abortions when it is established that the child will have a lifelong ailment and the parents’ plea was completely justified. The law needs to be changed,” said Dr I C Verma, Head of Department of Genetic Medicine, Sir Gangaram Hospital, New Delhi.

“By keeping the legal limit at 20 weeks, we are forcing parents to rush into a decision. Many times, abnormalities are detected after the 20th week. It is not possible to detect all complications within 20 weeks,” said Dr Anita Kaul, Foetal Medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals. “We need to revise the law and be easy on parents as well,” she added.

... contd.