Court rejects abortion for minor at 28 weeks as "baby will be born alive" - Punjabi News

Published on: 26 Jun 2023 at 04:32 PM

Court rejects abortion for minor at 28 weeks as “baby will be born alive”

Published by: thefactnews

The Fact News Service

Mumbai, June 26

The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court has refused to permit a 15-year-old rape victim to abort her 28-week pregnancy as doctors have opined that the baby would be born alive even if forcible delivery is performed at this stage.

The baby would require neonatal care, as per the doctors.

A division bench of Justices R V Ghuge and Y G Khobragade in its order of June 20 said if a child is going to be born even with forcible delivery, then they might as well let the baby be born full-term keeping its future in mind.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the rape victim’s mother seeking permission to abort the girl’s 28-week pregnancy.

The woman in the plea said her daughter went missing in February this year and was found with a man in Rajasthan three months later by police.

A case was lodged against the man under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

A medical board after examining the girl said even if the pregnancy termination proceedings are done, the baby would be born alive and would have to be admitted in a neonatal care unit and the girl would also be at risk.

The high court bench noted that a child would be born whether by forcible medical intervention or by natural delivery.