Minor rape victim's 25-week pregnancy terminated

Ahmedabad, Aug 1: Doctors yesterday successfully terminated a 25-week pregnancy of a minor rape victim after Supreme Court intervened in the girl's favour, in what might be a first of its kind case in the Indian medico-legal history.

"A team of five doctors successfully terminated the 25-week pregnancy of the minor rape victim late last night, who was admitted here the day before," Dr M M Prabhakar, Medical Superintendent of Civil hospital, where the girl is kept, told PTI.

"The girl's health is normal after the foetus was terminated," Prabhakar added. One of the family friends of the victim said the foetus termination would now give a new life to the 14-year-old girl, who studies in Class X. The process of medical termination of pregnancy started this morning and doctors expected that it would take 24 to 36 hours.

However, they had also said, but as the girl shown some courage, it could be done in around 12 hours only, sources in the hospital said. Prabhakar had earlier said the girl was given some drug that increases the size of the uterus and thereafter foetus can be removed.

The father of the girl, who was present at the hospital, said he will be a relieved man once his daughter gets rid of pain. The law says that termination of pregnancy of above 20 weeks is not allowed. However, in a legal intervention which came as a great relief to the 14-year-old girl and her family, the apex court gave a go ahead for abortion of the 25-week foetus.

The girl became pregnant after being allegedly raped by a doctor Jatin Mehta whom she had visited for treatment of typhoid earlier this year. The girl and her family had to pass through a long drawn legal process for getting the order of termination of pregnancy in their favour as earlier Himmatnagar Sessions Court and later the Gujarat High Court had denied permission to abort the foetus as it was older than 20 weeks.

PTI