Rape victim’s abortion plea dismissed

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 21

After a medical board of the GMSH, Sector 16, expressed its opinion against the abortion of a 15-year-old rape victim citing health risk, the juvenile court here dismissed the abortion plea. The girl is now 25 weeks pregnant and the application had been moved in the court last week.

The court had asked the medical board to take a decision. Law does not permit termination of pregnancy after 20 weeks, barring exceptions. 

The court also referred to the case of a 10-year-old rape victim, whose abortion was not allowed by the Supreme Court as her pregnancy had also crossed 20 weeks.  The case involved rape by maternal uncles of the girl, who went on to deliver a child in August last year.

The girl was allegedly raped multiple times over a period spanning a few months by a boy, who is also a minor. After the rape survivor’s parents recorded their statements and she was medically examined, the juvenile was arrested and sent to a juvenile home.

The parents of the minor girl alleged that the boy lived in their neighbourhood a few years ago and knew them. The girl said the accused’s mother was no more and when his father would go to work, the accused would take her to his house and rape her.