The child born to the 13-year-old rape survivor, who was allowed to terminate her 32-week-long pregnancy, died on 10 September, 48 hours after it was born. The minor girl prematurely gave birth to a baby boy at JJ Hospital in Byculla on Friday, two days after the Supreme Court allowed the termination.
According to a report on Times of India, the premature baby suffered from severe breathing difficulties as his organs were underdeveloped. The infant bled into his lungs despite being kept on ventilation in the intensive care unit.
The family members of the teenager, who had decided to take the baby home, were reportedly “saddened” by the news.
SC Grants Permission For Abortion
A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra had said that the judgment to allow the termination of the 32-week-old pregnancy has been passed, keeping in mind the trauma faced by the victim. “Keeping in view the age of the petitioner (victim), the trauma she faced, we allow her to terminate her pregnancy,” Misra said.
The girl underwent an examination at Sir JJ Hospital in Mumbai on 1 September, to find if she could safely undergo abortion, reported The Hindustan Times.
Her parents had learnt of her pregnancy during the 29th week, and had moved the Supreme Court seeking permission to abort the fetus.
According to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, medical termination of pregnancy is allowed up to 20 weeks, or in cases where the foetus is genetically abnormal.
In July, a Chandigarh district court ruled that a 10-year-old girl who was raped cannot undergo an abortion as she was 26-weeks pregnant.
(This story has been updated.)
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