The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed an AIIMS medical board to examine an HIV-positive destitute rape victim, who is 26 weeks pregnant, for medical termination of pregnancy.
A Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra said a woman who had undergone so much of suffering should not be forced to suffer further. “... A woman, who has already become a destitute, being sexually assaulted and suffering from a serious ailment, should not go through further suffering. The quintessential purpose of life is the dignity of life and all efforts are to be made to sustain it,” the court said. The medical board was asked to report back on May 8.
The Patna High Court had rejected the woman’s plea to abort, saying it was a compelling responsibility of the state to keep the child alive.
