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Medical board to decide on minor's pregnancy termination

Keeping in mind the amount of risk the girl will be in, the doctors will help the court to decide whether the fetus of the 14-year-old rape survivor could be terminated

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Gujarat high court on Monday constituted a medical board, comprising five doctors, to examine a minor girl who is 32 weeks pregnant. Keeping in mind the amount of risk the girl will be in, the doctors will help the court to decide whether the fetus of the 14-year-old rape survivor could be terminated.

While hearing the petition filed by the minor, a resident of Sabarkantha district, the single bench of Justice JB Pardiwala asked the panel of doctors of GMRES Medical College, Himmatnagar, to appear before it on Tuesday.

Assistant professor Dr Shilpa Ninama and assistant professor of Obstetrics-Gynecology Dr Anil Bariya informed the court on Tuesday that the pregnancy has crossed the age of foetal viability and, being in a pre-term condition, the fetus may have life in it. In such cases, the newborns have to kept in the neonatal intensive care units.

The court also couldn't rule out that a C-section will also affect the cervix of the minor, increasing the risk to her life. Considering the Supreme Court order in the Murugan Nayakkar Vs Union of India case, Justice Pardiwala constituted the medical board comprising five doctors, who are also HoDs, of Obstetrics Gynecology, Neurology, Paediatrics, Radiology and Psychiatric departments.

The doctors will examine the minor and submit a report to the court by Wednesday morning. Two doctors of the board will also have to appear in the court.

Apart from ordering the legal and probation officer Sabarkantha Child Protection Unit to ensure the girl's medical examination by Tuesday evening at Ahmedabad civil hospital, the court also wanted to know the decision of the parents of the survivor. The advocate of the petitioner, Kumar Trivedi, had informed the court that the parents of the girl were not keen on having the baby.

FATE OF FOETUS

  • While hearing the petition filed by the minor, a resident of Sabarkantha district, the single bench of Justice JB Pardiwala asked the panel of doctors of GMRES Medical College, Himmatnagar, to appear before it on Tuesday.
     
  • The advocate of the petitioner, Kumar Trivedi, had informed the court that the parents of the girl were not keen on having the baby.
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