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Karnataka State Commission for Women was set up by an Act of 1995 with an objective for achieving all round development of the women. The commission consists of a chairperson and members who are nominated by the Government and few ex-officio members. The chairperson and other members hold office for a period not exceeding 3 years. The functions of the Commission includes:

(a) Investigate and examine all matters relating to the safeguards provided for women under the Constitution and other laws;
(b) Present to the Government, annually and at such other times as the Commission may deem fit, reports upon the working of those safeguards;
(c) Make in such reports recommendations for the effective implementation of those safeguards for improving the conditions of women by the State;
(d) Review, from time to time, the existing provisions of the Constitution and other Laws affecting the women and recommend amendments thereto so as to suggest remedial legislative measures to meet any lacuna or inadequacies or shortcomings in such legislations;
(e) Take up the cases of violation of the provisions of the Constitution and of other laws relating to women with the appropriate authorities;
(f) Look into complaints and take suo-moto notice of matters relating to:-
(i) Deprivation of women’s rights;
(ii) Non-implementation of laws enacted to provide protection to women and also to achieve the objective of equality and development;
(iii) Non-compliance of policy decisions, guidelines or instructions aimed at mitigating hardships and ensuring welfare and providing relief to  women and take up the issues arising out of such matters with appropriate authorities. 

The other functions of the Commission are:
(a) Call for special studies or investigation into specific problems or  situations arising out of discrimination and atrocities against women and identify the constraints so as to recommend strategies for their removal;
(b) Undertake promotional and educational research so as to suggest ways of ensuring due representation of women in all spheres and identify factors responsible for impending their advancement, such as, lack of access to housing and basic services, inadequate support services and technologies for reducing drudgery and occupational health hazards and for increasing their productivity;
(c) Inspect or cause to be inspected a jail, remand home, women’s institution or other place of custody where women are kept as prisoners or otherwise and take up with the concerned authorities for remedial action, wherever found necessary;
(d) Fund litigation involving issues affecting a large body of women;
(e) Participate and advice on the planning process of socio-economic development of women;
(f) Evaluate the progress of the development of women under the State,
(g) Make periodical report to the Government on any matter pertaining to women and in particular various difficulties under which women toil;
(h) Involve with voluntary organizations in the State, more particularly women’s organizations besides governmental departments and its agencies in the discharging of its functions;

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971 was enacted by the Parliament of India to provide for the termination of certain pregnancies by Registered Medical Practitioners and for matters connected there with.

Accordingly, a pregnancy may be terminated by a Registered Medical Practitioner, if the length of pregnancy doesn’t exceed more than 12 weeks and he is of the opinion that the continuation of the pregnancy would involve a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or of great injury to physical or mental health or that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.

If the pregnancy exceeds 12 weeks, but doesn’t exceed 20 weeks, the opinion in good faith as above, of two Registered Medical Practitioners is required for the termination of pregnancy. Where any pregnancy is alleged to have been caused by rape, the anguish caused by such pregnancy shall be presumed to constitute a grave injury to the mental health of the pregnant women. Similarly where any pregnancy occurs as a result of failure of any device or method by any married women or her husband for the purpose of limiting their children, the anguish caused by such unwanted pregnancy is presumed to constitute a grave injury to mental health of the pregnant women.

No pregnancy of women who has not attained the age of 18 years or having attained the age of 18 years who is a mentally ill person shall be terminated except with the consent in writing of her guardian.