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Medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) and amniocentesis sheet
3-mark answer frame

What is MTP? Why is it legal in India only under strict conditions? Comment on the misuse of amniocentesis.

How to lay out the answer. Follow the frame, then write it in your own words.

  1. 1 · Define in one line. MTP is the intentional or voluntary termination of a pregnancy before full term.
  2. 2 · When it is needed. Unwanted pregnancy (unprotected sex, contraceptive failure, rape), or danger to the mother, the foetus or both.
  3. 3 · Why strict conditions. Legalised in 1971 with conditions, to prevent misuse, unsafe abortions by quacks and female foeticide; it is relatively safe only in the first trimester.
  4. 4 · Misuse of amniocentesis. It is meant to detect genetic disorders in amniotic fluid. It was misused to find the sex of the foetus, so its use for sex determination is banned by law.
  5. 5 · Close in one line. So MTP is a medical decision, not a method of birth control or a tool for choosing a baby's sex.

Scoring tip: Mention both the first-trimester limit and the ban on sex determination. Examiners expect both in a 3-mark answer.