Court Allows 10-Year-Old Rape Survivor To Abort Pregnancy

A district court in Haryana has granted permission to a 10-year-old rape survivor to terminate her pregnancy.

Indian laws prohibit abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy unless the health of the mother is in danger. Abortion is permitted under “exceptional circumstances”, and the medical board submitted the petition on whether the rape survivor's condition met their criteria.

The head of the forensic medicine department at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, Dr SK Dhattarwal said that the report suggested that it would be in the best interest of the girl to terminate the pregnancy, as otherwise, she will face psychological trauma. On that basis, the court has granted the permission.

The girl is five months pregnant, allegedly raped by her stepfather, who has been arrested. The entire incident came to light after people at the place, where the mother of the girl works, called the helpline for women. Investigation revealed that the girl’s stepfather (who also happens to be her paternal uncle) -- a man in his early 20’s -- sexually abused the victim repeatedly when the mother went to work.

According to the police, it was a long-term abuse and probably went on for years. The culprit has been arrested and is in jail, and the victim has been given proper medical attention and counselling and her statement has been recorded.

But what comes as a shock is that the girl's mother wants her husband to be set free. She said that she did not believe when her daughter narrated her ordeal. Only after her husband's confession did she believe what he had done. But she still wishes for the husband to be set free as she cannot survive without a man in her life.

She said that they had been (the culprit and the girl's mother) married for 5 years, and she never saw him look at her daughter with an evil eye. She also mentioned that when she visited a private hospital, the doctor offered to kill her daughter for Rs 20,000, but she couldn't afford the amount and had no plans of killing her daughter. The man is the woman's second husband, her first husband died due to alcoholism. The second husband happens to be her first husband's younger brother. She said that the NGOs lined up for help now will not be here for long, but her husband will take care of her and her kids.

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