Gujarat HC allows 25-week pregnancy termination for 15-year-old assault victim

The Gujarat High Court has permitted a 15-year-old minor rape victim to undergo a medical termination of her pregnancy, which has exceeded 25 weeks.

The high court directed the government medical college in Surat to urgently constitute a specialised medical team to perform the procedure. The decision followed a confidential medical board report confirming that the victim is both medically and psychologically fit for the termination, subject to guardian consent and inherent risks.

Citing a Supreme Court precedent, the high court emphasized that delaying the procedure would only compound the victim's agony.

The court mandated that three senior-most gynecologists, along with a physician and anesthetist, must unanimously agree on the safety of the surgery before proceeding.  

Furthermore, the court ordered doctors to preserve tissue samples for DNA identification to assist ongoing investigations.

Addressing potential outcomes, the court ruled that if the baby is born alive, the hospital must provide optimal medical care. Should the victim decline responsibility, the state will assume full custody under the Juvenile Justice Act.