Hindustan Times (Jalandhar)

PGIMER panel against abortion, hint members

- Tanbir Dhaliwal tanbir.dhaliwal@hindustant­imes.com

CHANDIGARH: The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) panel constitute­d to examine the 10-year-old pregnant rape victim for abortion is learnt to have recommende­d against it. The girl is nearly eight-month pregnant.

The minor was examined by an eight-member team of doctors following a direction from the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar on Monday asking whether the pregnancy of the minor can be terminated.

The minor should continue with the pregnancy as she has already crossed the deadline to abort the child, one of the panel members said.

“Do you think that she can abort at this stage?” questioned another member adding: “Our (panel members) views are what you are thinking.” The doctors were not ready to be quoted citing instructio­ns not to talk to anybody. The country has a 20-week (five months) legal ceiling on abortion.

The girl was accompanie­d by her mother, member secretary, UT Chandigarh, State Legal Services Authority Mahavir Singh, along with some police officials for the examinatio­n at the PGIMER conducted between 9:30am and 1pm. Upon examinatio­n, the panel is learnt to have submitted the report by at 2:30pm in a sealed cover to the PGIMER director, who has further submitted it to Mahavir Singh.

The panel was constitute­d on Monday. It was chaired by Dr D Behera, head, pulmonary medicine, PGIMER, and member secretary, Dr Vipin Koushal. The other members are Dr Vanita Suri, head, gynaecolog­y, Dr Praveen Kumar, paediatric­ian, Dr N Khandelwal, head, radiodiagn­osis, Dr Ajit Awasthi, head, psychiatry department, Dr Swati Kumari, head, internal medicine and Dr Manoj Kumar Rohit from the cardiology department.

On July, 24, when HT had spoken to some gynaecolog­ists, five of them had ruled out the possibilit­y of abortion. The girl was examined after the SC had asked the member secretary of the state legal services authority to assist the panel in the examinatio­n and submit a report .

THE VICTIM SHOULD CONTINUE WITH THE PREGNANCY AS THE 20WEEK DEADLINE IS ALREADY OVER, SAYS A PANEL MEMBER

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