Delhi High Court
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The Delhi High Court has observed that imposing the responsibility of motherhood on a victim of sexual assault would tantamount to depriving her of her human right to live with dignity. Cases where the pregnancy is more than 24 weeks. The High Court observed that forcing a victim to give birth to the child of the person who sexually assaulted her would result in unexplained suffering, and cases where sexual assault results in pregnancy are even more painful because The shadow of such a sad moment lingers every day.
The court was told that the victim’s family members are construction workers and she was sexually assaulted while her mother was out for work. Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma allowed the plea for termination of pregnancy (MTP) after taking consent of the minor’s mother and after going through the report of the medical board which examined her. The court asked the girl to appear before the competent authority of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on Friday for the purpose of medical termination of pregnancy.
The Delhi High Court’s order came on a petition by a woman seeking permission to abort her 14-year-old daughter. In its 22-page judgment, Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma ordered the authorities to ensure that she gets admission in a government school near her place of residence.
