Let me abort: 13-yr-old rape victim to HC

http://news.in.msn.com/crimefile/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3846574
Ahmedabad: A 13-year-old girl, who conceived after being repeatedly raped, has moved the Gujarat High Court and sought permission to medically terminate her pregnancy after a sessions court rejected her plea.

Daughter of a labourer couple in Surendranagar district, the girl was repeatedly raped, allegedly by a neighbour who had employed her as a cook at his home. The girl and her family lodged a complaint with the Halvad police station on March 11 after she was found to be pregnant.

Her parents took the girl to a local clinic for an abortion but the doctor refused, telling them to first secure permission from a court.

The girl, through her mother, moved a petition in the Dhrangadhra sessions court under provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. But the court rejected the plea saying there was no evidence on record to show that the health of the girl would suffer because of her pregnancy.

Racing against time to get legal permission to abort within a medically safe period, the girl moved the High Court, saying pregnancy from rape was mental agony and could impact her mental health. The counsel for the girl submitted that it had been established beyond doubt that rape had led to her pregnancy.

The High Court, which heard the petition today, intended to post the matter for May. But it later agreed with the submission that she was already over two months pregnant and needed urgent permission to terminate it. The case will come up next on April 28.

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