12YROLD RAPE SURVIVOR SEEKS SC PERMISSION TO ABORT FOETUS

MUMBAI: The mother of a 12-yearold rape survivor from Mumbai plans to file a petition in the Supreme Court on Thursday, seeking permission to abort the child’s 27-week-old foetus.

The move comes a month after the courts did not permit a 10-year-old girl from Chandigarh, who was sexually assaulted by a relative, permission to abort her foetus.

They held that late-stage abortion could threaten her life, a view shared by a committee of medical experts who examined her.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, does not allow abortions beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy, though courts have made exceptions if the foetus has a serious medical abnormality or if the mother’s life is at risk. Doctors, however, say pregnancy and delivery at age 15 or younger can be dangerous.

The Mumbai girl’s pregnancy came to light after she gained weight. Her mother took her to a doctor, who referred them to gynaecologist Dr Nikhil Datar, who offers legal aid to women who want an abortion after the deadline. Datar said he has evaluated the case. “It is sad that she cannot undergo an abortion right away. Both the mother and daughter are disturbed,” he said.

NOD FOR ABORTION

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a woman to terminate her pregnancy after the doctors opined that the 24-week-old foetus was suffering from cardiac anomaly and if born alive, the infant would have to undergo surgeries having a risk of high mortality. The woman had moved the court for permission to terminate her pregnancy.