MUMBAI: A 33-year-old cancer patient decided not to go ahead with her plea for the medical termination of her nearly 28-week pregnancy after a JJ Hospital panel told Bombay HC that the procedure is highly risky as the disease is at a terminal stage.
Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Gauri Godse on Thursday disposed of the petition after they were told by the woman’s husband, through advocate Kanchan Pawar, that they accept the medical committee’s opinion and have decided not abort.”With regard to what is stated in the medical report and the life expectancy of the patient which is stated to be between 3-6 months, learned counsel for the petitioner… does not press the petition,” the judges said.
Survival of woman/fetus till term unlikely, medical report said
The couple had moved the Bombay High Court to allow the termination of her then 26-week pregnancy on the grounds that the woman had “been recently diagnosed with metastatic gallbladder carcinoma that had spread to other parts of the body.”
Her petition said that in November, she visited the doctor due to unbearable pain in the abdomen. The MRI report revealed a benign tumour and her biopsy report diagnosed her with adenocarcinoma in the left lobe of the liver. At Tata Memorial Hospital, she was diagnosed with “metastatic carcinoma gallbladder that had spread to the liver”.
The doctors informed the couple that due to her pregnancy they could not give her oncological treatment and explained the poor prognosis. They also explained about the possible need of terminating the pregnancy as its continuation will risk the lives of the mother and fetus.
On December 11, the judges directed the medical committee to examine the woman.
The committee’s December 13 report said that she “suffers from multiple liver metastases secondary to carcinoma gallbladder…wherein the life expectancy of the patient is less than 3-6 months.”
“The committee further opined that survival of the patient and/or fetus till term is unlikely and is associated with a very high risk of both, maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality….the mother is at terminal stage of the disease with extremely poor survival outcome, it is advisable to terminate the pregnancy for relatively better outcome of the mother, however, the procedure of termination is wrought with very high risk owing to her current condition,” the judges noted.
Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Gauri Godse on Thursday disposed of the petition after they were told by the woman’s husband, through advocate Kanchan Pawar, that they accept the medical committee’s opinion and have decided not abort.”With regard to what is stated in the medical report and the life expectancy of the patient which is stated to be between 3-6 months, learned counsel for the petitioner… does not press the petition,” the judges said.
Survival of woman/fetus till term unlikely, medical report said
The couple had moved the Bombay High Court to allow the termination of her then 26-week pregnancy on the grounds that the woman had “been recently diagnosed with metastatic gallbladder carcinoma that had spread to other parts of the body.”
Her petition said that in November, she visited the doctor due to unbearable pain in the abdomen. The MRI report revealed a benign tumour and her biopsy report diagnosed her with adenocarcinoma in the left lobe of the liver. At Tata Memorial Hospital, she was diagnosed with “metastatic carcinoma gallbladder that had spread to the liver”.
The doctors informed the couple that due to her pregnancy they could not give her oncological treatment and explained the poor prognosis. They also explained about the possible need of terminating the pregnancy as its continuation will risk the lives of the mother and fetus.
On December 11, the judges directed the medical committee to examine the woman.
The committee’s December 13 report said that she “suffers from multiple liver metastases secondary to carcinoma gallbladder…wherein the life expectancy of the patient is less than 3-6 months.”
“The committee further opined that survival of the patient and/or fetus till term is unlikely and is associated with a very high risk of both, maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality….the mother is at terminal stage of the disease with extremely poor survival outcome, it is advisable to terminate the pregnancy for relatively better outcome of the mother, however, the procedure of termination is wrought with very high risk owing to her current condition,” the judges noted.