Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has directed the civic-run KEM Hospital in Parel to form a medical board and examine a 13-year-old rape survivor, who is in her 25th week of pregnancy. The girl had petitioned the HC to terminate her pregnancy as it had crossed the 20-week limit imposed by the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act.
This is the second case of a minor sexual assault victim petitioning for abortion in three months: in September, another 13-year-old girl was allowed to terminate her pregnancy at 31 weeks. That case led to a debate within the medical fraternity, as the baby died a day later in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
In the present case, the minor has been admitted to a peripheral hospital and will be shifted to a tertiary care facility on Saturday. “We have already constituted a team of experts to examine the girl. We should be able to submit our report on Monday,” Dr. Avinash Supe, Dean, KEM Hospital, said. As per court orders, the medical board shall comprise the dean and other medical experts. The next hearing in the case is scheduled on December 5.
