Supreme Court SHOCKING Verdict | Can State Force Pregnancy? Big Constitutional Answer! | NEXT IAS

Added: 2026-04-29

[00:00:00]Can the state force a woman to continue pregnancy? The Supreme Court answered no. The Supreme Court of India has reaffirmed that reproductive choice is a fundamental right under constitution allowing a 31-week pregnant minor to undergo medical termination. While the medical termination of pregnancy act permits abortion up to 20 weeks and 24 weeks in special circumstances, the court held that fundamental rights can override statutory limits in exceptional situations. The judgment draws strength from Article 21 of the Indian constitution which includes bodily autonomy and privacy and Article 14 of the Indian constitution ensuring equal protection of laws. Key rulings like Sucheta Srivastava versus Chandigarh administration and K.S. Puttaswamy versus Union of India reinforces this stance. Overall, the decision highlights that no woman, specially a minor, can be forced to continue an unwanted pregnancy. How far do you agree with the Supreme Court's stance? Kindly post your answer in the comment section.