## Legal Grounds for Termination Under MTP Act, 1972 **Key Point:** The MTP Act, 1972 (amended 2021) defines specific legal grounds for termination. Sex-selective abortion is explicitly prohibited under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994, and is NOT a valid ground under the MTP Act. ### Permissible Grounds Under MTP Act | Ground | Gestational Limit | Legal Status | | --- | --- | --- | | Risk to maternal life or physical health | Up to 24 weeks (2 doctors) | ✓ Valid | | Risk of grave injury to maternal mental health | Up to 24 weeks (2 doctors) | ✓ Valid | | Fetal abnormality (serious handicap) | Up to 24 weeks (2 doctors) | ✓ Valid | | Contraceptive failure (married or unmarried) | Up to 20 weeks (2 doctors) | ✓ Valid | | Rape or incest | Up to 20 weeks (2 doctors) | ✓ Valid | | Sex-selective abortion | — | ✗ **Prohibited** | **Warning:** Sex-selective abortion is illegal under the PCPNDT Act, 1994. Disclosure of fetal sex for the purpose of sex-selective termination is a criminal offense. This is a common trap in MTP questions. **High-Yield:** The MTP Act permits termination on medical, social, and humanitarian grounds, but explicitly excludes sex-selective termination. The PCPNDT Act criminalizes both the disclosure of fetal sex and the performance of sex-selective abortion. **Clinical Pearl:** A woman requesting termination solely on the basis of fetal sex cannot be granted abortion legally, even if she meets other criteria. The doctor is bound to refuse and may be prosecuted under PCPNDT Act if they comply. [cite:Park 26e Ch 23]
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