Read the given passage and answer the following questions:
Intentional or voluntary termination of pregnancy before full term is called medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) or induced abortion. Nearly 45 to 50 million MTPs are performed in a year all over the world which accounts to 1/5th of the total number of conceived pregnancies in a year. Whether to accept / legalise MTP or not is being debated upon in many countries due to emotional, ethical, religious and social issues involved in it. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act, 2017 was enacted by the government of India with the intension of reducing the incidence of illegal abortion and consequent maternal mortality and morbidity. According to this Act, a pregnancy may be terminated on certain considered grounds within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy on the opinion of one registered medical practitioner. If the pregnancy has lasted more than 12 weeks, but fewer than 24 weeks, two registered medical practitioners must be of the opinion, formed in good faith, that the required ground exist. The grounds for such termination of pregnancies are: (i) The continuation of the pregnancy would involve a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or of grave injury physical or mental health; or (ii There is a substantial risk that of the child were born, it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.
In which year did the Government of India legalise MTP?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → 1971
The passage names the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act of 2017, but this Act only changed an older law. The Government of India first legalised MTP in 1971, with strict conditions to prevent its misuse. These conditions are meant mainly to check illegal female foeticide. Two of the other years also appear in the same chapter: 1951 is the year India’s family planning programmes began, and 2017 is the year of the Amendment Act.
NCERT Extract:
Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) – “… Whether to accept / legalise MTP or not is being debated upon in many countries due to emotional, ethical, religious and social issues involved in it. Government of India legalised MTP in 1971 with some strict conditions to avoid its misuse. Such restrictions are all the more important to check indiscriminate and illegal female foeticides which are reported to be high in India.”