Niketá Mehta with her husband

MUMBAI: The Indian government has proposed an increase in the abortion limit from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks and even beyond in case of fetal abnormality .A draft Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment),Bill 2014 was put up on the ministry of health website on October 29.The draft says that pregnancies can be terminated up to 24 weeks if there is a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or of injury to her physical or mental health or if there is substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from serious physical or mental abnormalities.The draft added that if the fetus was diagnosed with substantial abnormalities then pregnancy can be terminated at any stage. " this means the fetus can be terminated even beyond 24 weeks if detected with an abnormality" said Dr Nikhil Datar whose patient Niketá Mehta highlighted the need for a change in the last.It may be recalled that in 2008 a Mumbai resident Niketá Mehta had moved the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court for termination of her 20-plus week pregnancy after diagnostic scans showed that the fetus had abnormal heart.