13-year-old rape survivor, who was allowed by Supreme Court to terminate her 32-week-old pregnancy on medical grounds, on Friday, delivered a baby boy after cesarean operation at a government hospital in Mumbai
A 13-year-old rape survivor, who was allowed by the Supreme Court to terminate her 32-week-old pregnancy on medical grounds, on Friday, delivered a baby boy after a cesarean operation at a government hospital in Mumbai, a doctor said.
The newborn weighs 1.8 kg and has been kept in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the J J Hospital in Central Mumbai. "The cesarean operation was performed this afternoon after which the girl delivered a male child," Vinayak Kale, Acting Dean and Professor of Department of Psychiatry of J J Hospital, told PTI.
Two days ago the Supreme Court had allowed the minor to terminate her 32-week-old pregnancy after taking note of her medical report and the "trauma of sexual abuse". "We went by the directions of the Supreme Court for the medical termination of pregnancy. But we found that the foetus had fully developed in the womb and its delivery was the only option," said Kale.
Also read: Supreme Court allows 13-year-old rape victim's to undergo abortion
The physician was a member of a committee constituted by the apex court to look into this case. The mother and the child are safe and stable. The baby boy has been shifted to the NICU for further care, he added. The operation was conducted by a team of doctors led by Ashokanand, who was also the head of the committee.
"The child is in good health. There was no problem during the surgery too," Ashokanand said. In its ruling on September 6, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had directed that the medical procedure be conducted on the girl at the earliest, preferably on September 8, after it took note of the report of the Supreme Court-appointed medical board comprising doctors of J J Hospital.
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Also read: Minor forced to take abortion pills by 8 'rapist' teachers, gets cancer
The victim, a Mumbai resident and 7th standard student, had to knock the doors of the apex court as the law prohibits abortion of a foetus after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The bench also took note of the risk factors and asked the hospital to do the needful and admit the girl a day prior to conducting the procedure for aborting the foetus.
The Section 3(2)(b) of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act prohibits abortion of a foetus after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
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