Indian girl allowed abortion amid claims doctors ‘afraid to help’ child rape victims
Supreme court approves termination for 13-year-old who fell pregnant after assault but case highlights concerns that medics do not understand relevant law
Amrit Dhillon in New Delhi
Thursday 7 September 2017
The Indian supreme court has ruled that a 13-year-old rape victim in Mumbai who was left pregnant after the attack can have a termination. It follows a landmark ruling last month that said doctors should make greater effort to support victims of sexual assault regardless of the country’s abortion laws.
On 25 August, the court ruled that precious time was lost, and added distress caused, to girls and their families when they were forced to bring their individual cases to court. Doctors have been criticised as being far too fearful when dealing with the victims of child rape.
Continued at source: The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/sep/07/indian-girl-13-allowed-abortion-supreme-court-ruling-doctors-afraid-to-help-child-rape-victims