The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition seeking permission for terminating the 32-week-old pregnancy of a 10-year-old rape victim from Chandigarh after a board of PGI doctors opined against it.
The board, set up on SC orders, said in its report that “abortion is neither good for the girl, nor for the foetus.” The minor is carrying her unwanted pregnancy after being allegedly raped by her uncle.
Taking note of an increasing number of petitions seeking permission to terminate pregnancy, a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar suggested to the government to consider setting up a permanent medical board in every district to take quick decisions in such cases.
The Bench asked Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar to convey its suggestion to the government. A Bill on the issue is already pending.
The suggestion assumes significance in view of the fact that under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, a woman is not permitted to abort her foetus after the pregnancy crosses 20 weeks, unless the mother’s life is at risk. It’s for this reason that pregnant women often move the top court for permission to terminate pregnancy that has crossed 20 weeks.
The Bench refused to accede to petitioner counsel Alakh Alok Srivastav for shifting the victim to PGI, saying care being provided to her at a hospital in Sector 32 was satisfactory. It also pulled up the petitioner for directly coming to the top court, bypassing the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
