Baby, born to teen rape survivor, dies

Mumbai: A baby boy born to a 13-year-old rape survivor died barely 48 hours after his birth at a hospital in Mumbai. The family of the rape survivor, who was allowed by the Supreme Court to terminate her 32week-old pregnancy, were thinking of keeping the baby, doctors said.

Mumbai, Sept. 11: A baby boy born to a 13year-old rape survivor died barely 48 hours after his birth at a government hospital here, doctors said.

The girl, who was allowed by the Supreme Court to terminate her 32-week-old pregnancy on medical grounds, had on Friday delivered the baby after a caesarean section operation at the hospital, a doctor had earlier said.

The baby, who weighed 1.8kg, died on Sundya at around 10.30am. The premature infant was kept in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the J.J. Hospital as most of his organs were underdeveloped, hospital sources said.

His condition turned critical yesterday and doctors removed him from an oxygen machine and put him on a ventilator, they said.

A medical officer said the hospital could not comment on the cause of the death as the postmortem report was yet to be finalised. The teenager, who is still in the hospital, is being treated by gynaecologist Ashok Anand. “We will discharge her from the hospital after her recovery,” Dr Anand said.