10 year old rape survivor denied permission to abort by SC

“The panel will affirm one way or the other whether health of the girl concerned and the child would be adversely affected if the pregnancy is allowed to be full term.

The Supreme Court has turned down an abortion plea filed by a 10 year old rape survivor. The survivor who is 32 weeks pregnant had moved the SC seeking permission to terminate her pregnancy.
The court observed that the medical report that it had sought for says that it would endanger the life of both her and the child.

On July 24, the court had asked the Chandigarh Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research to examine the girl and report if the pregnancy could be terminated.

The Supreme Court has asked Chandigarh's Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research to examine a 10-year-old rape victim to ascertain if her 30-week-old pregnancy can be terminated.

A bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar also asked member secretary of the state legal services authority to assist the panel in the examination to be held on Wednesday.

"The panel will affirm one way or the other whether health of the girl concerned and the child would be adversely affected if the pregnancy is allowed to be full term," the bench said India has a 20-week legal ceiling on abortion. The pregnancy termination law allows a woman to abort but only after doctors confirm "it is necessary to save the mother's life".

Advocate Alakh Alok told the court thaet doctors were of the view that the pelvic bones of the girl were not fully developed and a full-term pregnancy at "this tender age is very risky". The girl, who hails from Chandigarh, was repeatedly raped by her uncle, the advocate also submitted.

Her parents had approached the Chandigarh district court for permission to terminate the pregnancy. On July 18, the court dismissed the plea, citing the 20-week ceiling.

The girl was allegedly raped over seven months. Her parents got to know of it when they took her to a doctor after she complained of a stomach pain.

OneIndia News