Gandhinagar : The 25-week-old foetus of a 14-year-old rape victim from Gujarat will be aborted in an Ahmedabad hospital on Friday. The Supreme Court appointed medical panel has cleared the medical termination of pregnancy, though the law allows abortion only until the 20th week.
According to MM Prabhakar, superintendent of the Government Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, there is no apparent complication and the pre-abortion medical process would be set in motion on Friday and over the next 24 or 36 hours the pregnancy would be terminated.
Though both the Sessions as well as the Gujarat High Court had denied permission to terminate the pregnancy, the Supreme Court took the stand that she may undergo abortion, if medical experts gave their nod.
While the law of the land permits Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP Act) only until about 20 weeks, the Supreme Court made a path breaking departure leaving it to expert medical advice.
The minor had become pregnant after allegedly being raped by her doctor when she had visited him for treatment in February this year.
According to legal experts the apex court also took cognizance of the fact that the courts of the land took almost four weeks to hear and pronounce their judgment, a fact for which the girl cannot be held responsible.
On behalf of the girl, it has all along been maintained that she was too young for motherhood which have been forcibly thrust on her and she would want to complete her studies. The girl has been a meritorious student right through her academic career.
