CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed medical authorities to explore alternative methods to terminate the pregnancy of a 16-year-old rape survivor after conventional medical termination was deemed unsafe at an advanced stage.
Hearing a petition filed on March 23, 2026 by the minor’s parents seeking termination of her pregnancy and state-funded medical care, the single judge bench of Justice BP Routray on Friday instructed the director of Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar, to examine the feasibility of procedures that could end the life of the foetus without risking the mother’s life.
Earlier, on April 27, the court declined the plea for termination based on the Medical Board’s opinion. The board had stated that termination at 30-weeks-and-four-days was not advisable.
However, during the May 1 hearing, counsel for the petitioners suggested the possibility of administering a specialised injection to stop the foetal heartbeat without endangering the minor mother’s life.
In response, Justice Routray asked the director to examine the feasibility of safe administration of any such injection. “The Director is also directed to state, if there is any other possibility available to end the life of the foetus without risking the life of the mother,” he further ordered.
The director has also been directed to appear virtually during the next hearing on May 4.