LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday sought replies from the federal law and health ministries, and the Punjab government on a public interest petition challenging the law criminalising abortion to the extent of rape victim.

The court also asked the attorney general for Pakistan to assist of the court on the matter.

The petitioner’s counsel said that the law in the country criminalises abortion under sections 338 and 338-B of the PPC describing it as intentionally ‘causing miscarriage’ except in cases where abortion is carried out to save the life of the woman.

She said the punishment of incarceration is merely flawed to exercise a woman’s right to pro-choice, the freedom to choose abortion.

She pleaded that the right to pro-choice, irrespective of their marital status, is not provided in cases of rape, fetus impairment, economical and social pressure, therefore, the protection of women is not available in the law. She argued that a state cannot set a policy to control women’s bodies, terming it anti-democratic and a violation of fundamental rights.

The lawyer asked the court to decriminalise the abortion under the existing law to grant freedom to abortion as a fundamental right to the women of Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024