Chhattisgarh High Court Allows Minor Rape Survivor To Terminate Pregnancy

Chhattisgarh Rape Survivor: The court said in order to carry out the abortion, the state government will have to form a panel of expert doctors at the district hospital in Korba as early as possible, and the hospital must take due care of the girl's health and provide her all medical support.

The Chhattisgarh High Court has granted permission to a 15-year-old rape survivor to terminate her less than 20-week pregnancy, an official said on Wednesday. A single bench of Justice Goutam Bhaduri passed the order directing that the survivor is entitled to medical termination of pregnancy, the petitioner's lawyer Anis Tiwari said. In the order, Justice Bhaduri said that it is obvious that if the girl was subjected to rape and if she is forced to give birth to a child, she would have to face a lifelong anguish, besides the fact that the child would also have to face disdain of the society, the lawyer said. The court further stated that in order to carry out the abortion, the state government will have to form a panel of expert doctors at the district hospital in Korba as early as possible, and the hospital must take due care of the girl's health and provide her all the medical support.