ASIA/INDIA - Indian Bishops: "Even in the face of early motherhood, the right of unborn life must be protected"

New Delhi (Fides News Agency) – The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), a body of more than 300 Indian bishops from three rites – the Latin, Syro-Malabar, and Syro-Malankara – is calling for a review of the ruling that permits abortions from the 30th week of pregnancy onward. It expressed its “deepest dismay” at the Supreme Court’s decision authorizing the termination of a viable pregnancy at 30 weeks. This development, the bishops stated, “raises fundamental questions regarding constitutional law, medical ethics, and the fundamental right to life of the unborn child.”
The Court ordered the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi to terminate the pregnancy of a 15-year-old girl at 30 weeks, citing the difficulties of early motherhood. This directive “clearly contradicts the unanimous and categorical opinion of doctors and experts who have unequivocally stated that an abortion at this advanced stage is medically unacceptable,” the Indian bishops said. According to a statement from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), the medical commission proposed a safer and more humane alternative: postponing the birth by a few weeks to allow for a natural delivery. “This approach would significantly reduce the health risks for the minor and increase the likelihood of giving birth to a healthy child,” the statement continued. The state has, among other things, declared its willingness to assume responsibility for the child, including providing social and psychological support to the young mother and facilitating adoption proceedings.
Citing “established medical recommendations and ethical considerations,” the bishops point out that a fetus is generally considered viable outside the womb from the 30th week of pregnancy onward. “Ordering an intervention that could terminate such a life or cause serious harm raises grave concerns and violates Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to life,” the statement reads. The bishops further explain: “Terminating a viable pregnancy, especially when safer alternatives exist, challenges the balance between personal autonomy and the protection of life. While patient autonomy is an important principle, it must not extend to ordering a medically contraindicated intervention. Judicial decisions in such sensitive medico-legal matters must be guided by scientific evidence and expert opinion.” The Supreme Court, as guardian of minors and those unable to protect their own interests, “has a duty to ensure the welfare of the child.” And in this case, the Catholic bishops emphasize: “The medical report clearly indicated a course of action that would protect both the minor and the unborn child. Deviating from this course of action casts doubt on the fulfillment of this responsibility.” The Indian bishops also cite the legal framework on abortion, which permits late-term procedures only in exceptional cases, such as serious risk to the mother or severe fetal abnormalities. "In the present case, the medical report indicates that continuing the pregnancy in the short term is safer and the fetus is healthy. This directive, therefore, appears to go beyond the scope of the existing legal framework." The Court's directive presents doctors with an ethical dilemma, as it compels them to perform a procedure that contradicts their professional judgment and ethical obligations. "Such coercion," the statement continues, "could negatively impact the integrity of medical practice and the willingness of experts to provide independent opinions in court proceedings." While acknowledging the social and psychological concerns associated with early motherhood, "these must be weighed against the certainty of physical harm and the impact on the right to life." “The proposed alternative solution, which includes state support and adoption,” it is emphasized again, “offers a compassionate and legally valid path that deserves thorough examination.” The bishops therefore call for “an immediate and urgent review of the case in order to save the life of an unborn child, protect constitutional principles, medical ethics, and the welfare of the child and the unborn child.” Father Mathew Koyickal, Deputy Secretary General of the CBCI and Judicial Vicar of the Archdiocese of Delhi, explained to Fides: “The Church respects the dignity and well-being of every vulnerable person, including minors in crisis situations, with the utmost care and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to pastoral care, material and moral support. However, the minority of the biological parents can never, under any moral argument, constitute a valid justification for the deliberate termination of a child’s life at 30 weeks of gestation.” According to the Church’s moral judgment, authorizing, supporting, or carrying out such an act “is murder.” “The 1971 Abortion Act,” he affirms, “must never be interpreted or applied as a license to destroy human life at 30 weeks of gestation.” However, the Church’s moral judgment is that the abortion law of 1971 “must never be interpreted or applied as a license to destroy human life at 30 weeks of gestation.” “The protection of the unborn child,” reminds Fr. Mathew Koyickal, “is also clearly enshrined in the sacred scriptures of the Hindu tradition. Therefore, permitting the killing of a 30-week-old, fully developed, and living child in the womb violates even the most sacred and unanimous precepts of India’s civil, philosophical, and religious heritage.”
In this context, the Deputy Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) calls on all citizens of India “to stand up for the protection of unborn life, regardless of religion, language, or affiliation, and urges all state institutions to fulfill their constitutional and moral obligation to protect every human life from conception.” (PA) (Fides News Agency, 5/5/2026)

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