## MTP Act 1972 — Gestational Limits and Practitioner Requirements **Key Point:** The MTP Act 1972 (as amended in 2002 and 2021) specifies different requirements based on gestational age and the number of medical practitioners involved. ### Single Practitioner Authority - A **single registered medical practitioner** can terminate pregnancy up to **12 weeks of gestation** without requiring the opinion of another practitioner. - This applies when the pregnancy does not involve any risk factors or complications. ### Two Practitioners Required - Between **12 to 20 weeks of gestation**, the opinion of **two registered medical practitioners** is mandatory. - Both practitioners must form an opinion in good faith that continuation of pregnancy would involve greater risk to the life or health of the pregnant woman. ### Extended Limit (Post-2021 Amendment) - The MTP (Amendment) Act, 2021 extended the upper limit from 20 weeks to **24 weeks** for certain categories: - Survivors of rape or incest - Minors - Cases involving fetal abnormalities - These cases still require two medical practitioners' opinion. **High-Yield:** The 12-week limit for a single practitioner is a direct recall fact frequently tested in NEET PG forensic medicine. **Clinical Pearl:** The amendments progressively liberalized abortion access while maintaining safeguards through multi-practitioner consensus at higher gestational ages.
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