KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday allowed a 15-year-old girl to medically terminate her seven-month-old foetus. The girl was impregnated by her brother. Justice Ziyad Rahman A A granted permission for Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) considering that (since) “the child is born from own sibling, various social and medical complications are likely to arise.”
The court issued the order on the petition filed by the girl’s father seeking a directive to terminate the pregnancy. The police have registered a case in the incident. A medical board examined the girl and filed a report saying she was physically and mentally fit for the MTP.
Continuation of the pregnancy is likely to cause grave injury to her social and mental health while her physical health is likely to be affected by the complication of teenage pregnancy, said the report. It said since she had crossed 32 weeks of pregnancy, there was a possibility of giving birth to a baby with all the problems of prematurity.
Considering the report, the court said, “In such circumstances, the permission as sought by the petitioner to terminate the pregnancy is inevitable.” The court directed the Malappuram district medical officer to take urgent steps to medically terminate the pregnancy without delay.
It said a report should be submitted after the completion of the procedure, to enable the court to pass appropriate orders for addressing further issues likely to arise in the case. It will hear the case after one week.