Denied Abortion By Supreme Court, 10-Year-Old Chandigarh Rape Victim Delivers Baby Girl Through C-Section

A 10-year-old rape survivor from Chandigarh, whose abortion plea was turned down by the Supreme Court delivered a baby girl on Thursday morning.

The girl underwent C-section as decided by the doctors at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Chandigarh.

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After assessing that the girl's pelvic bones were not strong to bear labour pain for normal delivery, it was the doctors who decided to do C-section.

The girl was unaware that she had delivered a child. Her parents had told her that she has a stone in her stomach and she had to be operated for that. Her father had requested the hospital authorities that the newborn should be put up for adoption.

According to the doctors at the GMCH, both the baby and the girl are not stable and will be hospitalized until they recover.

"The baby weighs 2.2 kg and is underweight. She is kept in the neonatal intensive care unit. While the girl is in the intensive care unit as she has stitches post delivery," said a doctor at GMCH.

AFP/ Representational Image

The girl who was raped by her uncle repeatedly for months until her parents took her to a hospital after she complained of stomach pain.

In July the lower court had refused to grant permission to the 10-year-old rape survivor to abort her foetus. After a PIL was filed, the case went to the Supreme Court which also refused termination of pregnancy as she was 26-week pregnant --beyond the 20th week of pregnancy norm.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, permits abortion till the foetus is 20 weeks' old.