Saturday, 11 August 2012

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:What are the legal issues in pregnancy?


What are the legal issues in pregnancy?

  • Pregnancy is the condition resulting from the fertilized ovum.
  • The existence of the condition beginning at the time of conception and terminating with the delivery of the child.
  • Extra uterine or ectopic pregnancy is the development of the ovum outside the uterine cavity as in the fallopian tube or the ovaries.
  • Extra uterine pregnancy usually terminates with the rupture of the sac, profuse internal bleeding, and death if not relieved promptly by a surgical operation.
  • Pregnancy is most likely to occur between the age group of 14 to 45 years but has been reported much earlier and later.
  • A plea of pregnancy is a plea which a woman capitally convicted may plead in stay of execution; for this, though it is no stay of judgment, yet operates as a respite of execution until the child is delivered.
  • This position is statutorily recognized by Section 416 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 which says that if a woman sentenced to death is found pregnant, the High Court shall order the execution of the sentence to be postponed, and commute the sentence to imprisonment of life.

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