MTP: Medical Termination Of Pregnancy.
Intentional or voluntary termination of pregnancy before the full term is known as medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) or induced abortion. In this article, I will explain the MTP, its legal acceptance in India, and its procedure.
The resource has not been reviewed by Editors yet. Readers are advised to use their best judgement before accessing this resource.
This resource will be reviewed shortly.
If you think this resource contain inappropriate content, please report to webmaster.
This resource will be reviewed shortly.
If you think this resource contain inappropriate content, please report to webmaster.
Introduction
MTP, which stands for Medical Termination of Pregnancy, is a procedure of termination of unwanted pregnancy using medicines like mifepristone and misoprostol and surgical procedures. MTP can be performed with the help of medicines in the early stages i.e. till the first trimester, otherwise, surgical procedures are required. Nearly 45 to 50 million MTPs are performed in a year all over the world which accounts for 1/5th of the total number of conceived pregnancies in a year.Legal Acceptance
Whether to accept/legalized MTP or not is being debated upon in many countries due to emotional, ethical, religious, and social issues involved in it.The Government of India legalized MTP in 1971 up to 12 weeks of pregnancy 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 higher in India. The advent of amniocentesis enabled the doctors to check the presence of genetic disorders, survivability of the fetus, and to decide about the continuation of pregnancy. However, this technique could be performed only after the first trimester so, the GOI amended the act and allowed MTP up to 20 weeks. MTPs are considered relatively safe during the first trimester i.e. up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Second-trimester abortions are much riskier. One disturbing trend observed is that a majority of the MTPs are performed illegally by unqualified quacks which are not only unsafe but could be fatal too. In view of all this The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act, 2017 was enacted by the government of India with the intention of reducing the incidence of illegal abortions and consequent maternal mortality and morbidity. According to this Act, a pregnancy may be terminated on certain 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.
The grounds for such terminations of pregnancies are:
- To get rid of unwanted pregnancies either due to casual unprotected intercourse or failure of contraceptives used during coitus or rapes.
- The continuation of the pregnancy would involve a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or of grave injury to physical or mental health.
- There is a substantial risk that if the child were born, it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.
Legally, only the consent of a major pregnant woman is needed in terminating the pregnancy and no other person's consent needs to be obtained.
How is MTP Performed
MTP is performed by experienced professionals and gynecologists because even the procedure is minor, the risk involved is high.- If the MTP has to be done by the non-surgical process then usually a pill named- Mifepristone is used. The mifepristone obstructs progesterone and its shortage affects the uterine lining. This process causes contractions and expels the fetus.
- If a woman wants an abortion in the later weeks of pregnancy, then she has to go for surgical termination of pregnancy. Surgical methods usually involve a suction evacuation and curettage (D&C), also known as a dilation and evacuation. The surgical methods usually take very little time and have comparatively lower side effects.
Unfortunately, In India the MTP is heavily used for female foeticide- this is totally against what is legal. Such practices should be avoided because these are dangerous both for the young mother and the fetus. Effective counseling on the need to avoid unprotected coitus and the risk factors involved in illegal abortions as well as providing more health care facilities could reverse the mentioned unhealthy trend.