Indian girl, 10, allowed abortion after rape

NEW DELHI: A panel of doctors yesterday accepted a 10-year-old rape victim’s plea for an abortion in the Indian state of Haryana.

The child, who was often left at home while her mother went to work at construction sites, said she was raped by her stepfather, who has since been arrested.

Her case only came to light last week after she had crossed the 20-week legal limit, in which terminations are only allowed when the life of the mother or the baby is in danger.

The decision to allow the child to abort was taken after a local court told doctors at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Rohtak that it would accept their recommendation.

In recent months, India’s top court received a number of petitions from rape and trafficking victims seeking abortions for pregnancies had gone beyond 20 weeks. Agencies