Medicolegal Aspect of

Termination of Pregnancy
By: PBL 24
Under supervision of Dr. Rasha Elmowafy
Objectives

01Definition 04 Law of countries

02Causes 05 Consequences
03 Medical decision 06 quiz
2
Introduction

3
Why we use the term “termination of pregnancy” rather than “abortion “?

1 2 3

Abortion can be confused Abortion is identified in The word ‘abortion’ is highly

with miscarriage or the many people's minds as emotive. Its use is probably
unexpected and criminal abortion – an responsible for sometimes,
unintended loss of the abortion performed or passionate approach.
fetus due to natural attempted outside the medical
processes. field.
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 INTRODUCTION

• According to the Guttmacher Institute, There are

About one-fourth of women will have an
abortion before they turn 45.

• These abortions are often voluntary for

example, a person may end the pregnancy if a
child will interfere with their education plans or
if they don't have the financial means to raise
another child.
• sometimes, parents must terminate a wanted
pregnancy for medical reasons, like fetal
abnormalities or maternal health issues.

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 01
Definition

6
Definition
Pregnancy can be intentionally ended by
professionals either voluntarily or on
purpose. In order to end a pregnancy, either
surgery or drugs might be used.

Pregnancy can be ended with the use of

medication in the early weeks of pregnancy,
between 7 and 9 weeks. The medical
termination of pregnancy is safe up to 12
weeks of pregnancy. The pregnancy must be
ended surgically in all other cases.

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 02
Causes
8
Medical causes
Maternal health issue
01 ▪

▪
Premature rupture of the amniotic membranes before fetal
viability with increased risk of maternal infection or hemorrhage.
Cancer where termination is necessary for life-saving treatment of
the mother.
▪ Significant cardiac or kidney disease, sepsis, severe preeclampsia
before fetal viability

02 Fetal abnormalities
Doctors conduct a few tests in the first half of
pregnancy, including blood work, ultrasound,
and amniocentesis .
Occasionally, these tests can uncover a condition
that could negatively impact the baby's quality
of life or result in fetal death before birth or
shortly after birth.
Fetal abnormalities
1 Genetic abnormalities 2 Birth defects
▪ Down syndrome ▪ Neural tube defects such as anencephaly, Spina bifida.

▪ Trisomy 13, 18 ▪ Kidney abnormalities resulting in a lack of amniotic

fluid
▪ Turner syndrome
▪ Heart defects with poor post-birth prognosis.
▪ Tay-Sachs disease
▪ Severe birth defects.
▪ DiGeorge syndrome

3
Severe twin-to-twin
transfusion syndrome
Where the death of one twin is inevitable and
termination allows a chance for the other twin 10
to live
 03
Medical decision

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Medical Desicion

• The termination of pregnancy for

severe congenital anomalies is
associated with moral conflicts and
ethical problems for doctors,
patients, and their families.

• So it must be done carefully and

professionally in accordance with basic
ethical and medicolegal rules.

• After a discussion between the doctor, the

patient, and her family to consider the
benefits of pregnancy termination. 12
 04
Rules of Abortion
in each country

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 Law of Egypt
▪ Articles 260–264 of Egypt’s Penal Code make it illegal to have an
abortion in the country.
▪ Despite this, Article 61 allows exceptions to be made in
circumstances of need That cover pregnancies that pose risks to the
health of the pregnant woman and result in the impairment of the
fetus.
▪ In these situations, a doctor is only allowed to execute an abortion if:
1- They have received permission from two different specialists
2- The woman’s life is in immediate danger.
▪ Anyone who assists in the termination of a pregnancy is subject to
criminal prosecution, including medical professionals. 14
 Law of Tunisia

▪ In 1973, Tunisia was the first Muslim, African, and Arab

country to liberalize its legal system, coming ahead of
France, Germany, and the United States of America.
▪ Tunisia legalizes abortion “upon request” up to 12 weeks
into a pregnancy, and the procedure is offered free of charge
inside the country’s public healthcare system.
▪ This stands in stark contrast to the majority of other
Muslim-dominated countries, the majority of which only
permit abortions if the pregnant woman’s life is in danger
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 Law of Kuwait

Abortion is illegal and the penalty of performing it may reach to:

▪ 5 years prison of the pregnant.
▪ 10 years prison of the person who performed it or helped her.
▪ up to 15 years if it was performed by a doctor in additional to the financial
fine.

According to medical liability low abortion is forbidden except in the

following situations:
1-If abortion was necessary to save the pregnant woman.
2-If continuation of pregnancy will be very harmful to the pregnant woman.
3-If it was proven that the fetus will be born with severe disability that
cannot be treated.
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 Law of UK

▪ Abortion is lawful in England, Scotland, and Wales provided the

criteria in the (Abortion Act 1967) are met.
▪ The abortion act requires the signatures of two registered medical
practitioners on a form named the( HSA1 form).
▪ Most abortions in England, Wales, and Scotland are carried out
before 24 weeks of pregnancy.

When is lawful?
1. If the pregnancy has not exceeded its twenty-fourth week
2. to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of
the pregnant woman.
3. continuance of the pregnancy would involve a risk to the life of the
pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated.
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 Law of Syria

▪ Current Syrian law only allows abortion to save woman’s

life making abortion in all other circumstances illegal.

▪ Penalty for performing an abortion with woman’s consent is

1 - 3 years imprisonment, and penalty for a woman who
consented to abortion is 6 months to 3 years imprisonment but
can be reduced if abortion is done to save woman’s honor.

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 05
consequences

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Why it’s important to be aware of medico- legal aspects?

The doctor should be aware of his

country’s law or the country he works in
because the law provides sanctions to be
imposed by the court or disciplinary
tribunal against any person who is found
liable in medico-legal cases.

These sanctions include: fines,

imprisonment, damages, compensation,
suspension from practice, and striking off
practitioners' names from the enrolment
register.

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21
 06
Questions

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Q1 one of the following
is a cause of medical
termination of
pregnancy.
a) Maternal health issue
b) Education plane
c) Financial problems
d) Young age

(A)
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Q2 one of the following
is meternal cause of
termination of
pregnancy
a) Down syndrome
b) Spina bifida
c) Severe twin to twin
d) Significant cardiac
disease.

(D)
2
4
Q3 All of the following
countries forbid
intended abortion
except :
a) Syria
b) Egypt
c) Tunisia
d) Kuwait

(C)
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Q4 Until when the
medical termination
of pregnancy is
lawful in UK ?
a) 18 weeks
b) 24 weeks
c) 36 weeks
d) 12 weeks

(B)
2
6
Q5 What is the minimal
number of specialist
is needed to execute
abortion in Egypt ?
a) 1
b) 3
c) 2
d) 4

(C)
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 Refrences
▪ https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/legal-and-
ethical-aspects-of-healthcare/termination-of-
pregnancy/D833FF34A78645B940375806AD4B8FB0
▪ https://www.embibe.com/exams/medical-termination-of-
pregnancy/
▪ https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/complications/termina
ting-a-pregnancy/
▪ file:///C:/Users/hagar/Downloads/ivos-oamjms-8c-
167%20(1).pdf
▪ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336402648_Med
ico_Legal_Issues_in_Clinical_Practice_An_Overview

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OUR TEAM

▪ Hagar yousef
▪ Zainab Hasan
▪ Muhammad Elhefni
▪ Mohamed Badr
▪ Marawan Yasser
▪ Sara Waleed
▪ Ali Abbad
▪ Mazen Ahmed
▪ Lana Ahmed Gibreel
▪ Ahmed Jasim Mohamed

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THANK YOU

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