Karnataka high court lets 13-year-old rape survivor terminate 25-week pregnancy

BENGALURU: Coming to the rescue of a 13-year-old rape survivor, who is now 25 weeks' pregnant, the Karnataka high court has issued interim directions permitting the state-run Vani Vilas Hospital to forthwith carry out the procedure for medical termination of pregnancy on her.
The procedure has to be carried out as per the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Rules, 1971, at the cost of the government, HC said.
The girl, who was allegedly raped by an unidentified person in May this year, had approached the court, seeking permission for medical termination of pregnancy.
In his order, Justice M Nagaprasanna has noted that the petitioner is a minor as per the school certificate and the scan report issued by the radiologist showed that her pregnancy is of 25 weeks.
If abortion was carried out as per the doctor's opinion, then "the foetus shall be preserved to facilitate DNA testing. The hospital is directed to send the tissue sample of the foetus for DNA testing to the Central Forensic Testing Laboratory at Bengaluru or Hyderabad," the judge has further said.
The court said the government will bear the cost of any follow-up treatment, directing the state government to submit a status report in two weeks.