A 16-year-old girl has informed the Bombay High Court that she has decided to continue her 27-week pregnancy to full term, after a medical board found no foetal anomalies or grave risk to her health.
The teenager had approached the court through her father, seeking permission to terminate the pregnancy, which resulted from a relationship she was in. The plea came up before a bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sandesh Patil.
A medical board from the state-run JJ Hospital examined the girl and submitted its report to the court. The report stated that there was no foetal anomaly and no grave risk to the physical or mental health of the girl due to the continuation of the pregnancy. It did, however, acknowledge that the pregnancy could cause “social anguish” to the minor as she was unmarried.
Based on this, the court had the option to decide whether to allow termination under the provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.
On October 10, the bench interacted with the girl and apprised her of the findings of the medical report. After the interaction, the girl informed the court that she was willing to carry the pregnancy to full term. She also requested to be accommodated in a shelter home for the remainder of the pregnancy.
Accepting her request, the bench directed that the girl be kept in a shelter home located in suburban Mumbai. It further ordered that a lady constable from the concerned police station accompany her to JJ Hospital for weekly check-ups.
