23-week pregnant teenage rape survivor in Jharkhand undergoes successful abortion

The 15-year-old rape survivor’s 23-week-old foetus was aborted in Ranchi on Tuesday, following a Jharkhand court’s order.

“Medical termination of foetus of 23 weeks was done on Tuesday evening. The procedure adopted to remove the foetus was a kind of normal delivery and the patient is safe and stable. She may be discharged in a day or two, depending upon the recovery,” said Dr Anubha Vidyarthi, head, department of obstetrics and gynaecology, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS).

In compliance with the court’s order, the hospital preserved the terminated foetus as it might be necessary for conducting DNA test in criminal case.

The minor Jamshedpur girl, daughter of a daily wage labourer, was repeatedly raped by a neighbour Udai Gagrai. According to the FIR lodged by the victim’s mother on August 30, Gagrai had raped her daughter for the last four months. Police got the girl medically examined and found she was pregnant. Police had then arrested Gagrai.

Disturbed by the pregnancy, the parents had approached many hospitals in Jamshedpur for abortion, but all refused to conduct medical termination of pregnancy in second trimester citing the prohibition mentioned in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act.

They then moved the Jharkhand high court seeking judicial order for termination. The court on October 13 had ordered the government to constitute a medical board to give opinion about the risk factor involved.