The Madras High Court has permitted a 14-year-old sexual assault survivor to medically terminate her 28-week pregnancy, ruling that forcing her to carry the pregnancy to term would cause irreversible harm to her physical and mental health.
Justice Mohammed Shaffiq issued the order on July 7, directing that the procedure be carried out as soon as a medical board certifies the teenager is physically fit to undergo it. The state’s representative, Advocate JV Sakthi Baalakrishnan, confirmed that a medical board has since been established and is actively evaluating the girl’s health.
The ruling came in response to a petition filed by the victim’s mother. Both the mother and daughter had explicitly consented to the abortion during the teenager’s ongoing hospitalization, but the medical facility had failed to convene the required medical board to evaluate the request. The girl is currently 28.1 weeks pregnant.
In his decision, Justice Shaffiq emphasized that compelling a 14-year-old assault survivor to continue a pregnancy violates her fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty.
Case Background And Legal Action
According to court documents, the pregnancy resulted from an assault by a relative. A First Information Report was registered on July 2, 2026, and the matter was subsequently referred to the Child Welfare Committee. To assist the victim, a special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences court appointed a child sexual abuse prevention and healing center to serve as her support person.
During the hearing, Advocate Deepika Murali, representing the girl, cited a legal precedent in which the High Court had allowed the termination of a 30-week pregnancy for a minor under similar circumstances, urging the court to grant the same relief in this case.
