The High Court of Karnataka on Monday refused the plea of a 15-year-old rape victim, who had sought a direction to the medical authorities to terminate her 26-week pregnancy.
Justice A.S. Bopanna declined to interfere after a medical board, which was constituted following a direction by the court, gave a report stating that “termination of pregnancy is not advisable…”
The medical board of Vani Vilas Hospital, Bengaluru, said that the duration of pregnancy had crossed 20 weeks and “the MTP Act allows termination only till 20 weeks”, while pointing out that “general condition of the mother is not warranting termination as there are no detectable life threatening conditions.”
The board’s report further stated that “the victim had “one medical termination in the past 11 months and is again pregnant, and has reported to the doctors at six months of amenorrhea for Medical Termination of Pregnancy.”
Also, it said that “no life threatening congenital anomalies have been detected in the foetus and the foetus is healthy and viable; the victim is in a sound state of mind.”
The victim’s mother, a daily wage worker, had lodged a complaint with the police on March 15, 2016, that one Hanumanthappa had allegedly raped her daughter last year after taking her away from the hostel where she was staying.
She had approached the High Court after doctors at K.C. General Hospital, Bengaluru, said the law does allow termination of pregnancy at this stage.