Gujarat HC allows 16-week pregnant rape victim to terminate her pregnancy

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court today granted permission to a 27-year-old rape victim to terminate her pregnancy.

The petition was filed by the victim on Monday after she reported the crime and was examined at the hospital, where it was determined that she was 16 weeks pregnant. She requested the High Court’s approval for an abortion under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, which allows abortions up to 24 weeks.

Justice Sanjeev Thaker ordered a re-examination and sought expert opinions to assess the safety of the procedure. Once the doctors confirmed it was safe, the judge instructed the hospital superintendent to ensure the procedure was performed with the highest medical standards.

The court directed the superintendent of Sola Civil Hospital to ensure that the procedure is carried out by the hospital’s senior-most gynaecologists, chosen at his discretion, to provide the best medical care.

In light of the rape allegations, the court also instructed doctors to collect necessary DNA samples from the foetus for forensic analysis at the Gandhinagar Forensic Science Laboratory. DeshGujarat