The 15-year-old pregnant rape survivor, who recently received permission from the Supreme Court to terminate her 7-month-long pregnancy, gave birth to a baby boy at AIIMS in New Delhi on Saturday, officials confirmed.
“The newborn is currently under observation in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at AIIMS,” officials said. However, hospital officials said they discharged the girl at her request and that of her parents.
The officials said: “The newborn’s condition is stable. The baby did not suffer from any major health problems related to premature growth. However, the newborn must be under constant monitoring.”
Officials said the mother and her parents waived the child’s rights, and formal adoption proceedings for the child have since begun with the Central Adoption Agency.
“The family expressed their desire to waive their rights to the newborn and we formally accepted their written statement,” officials said.
The Supreme Court on April 24 allowed medical termination of pregnancy, affirming women’s reproductive autonomy. The court allowed the termination even though the pregnancy exceeded the legal limit under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971, and held that forcing a minor to continue an unwanted pregnancy would violate her right to dignity, independence and personal liberty under Article 21.
The pregnancy, as recorded in previous proceedings, arose as a result of a relationship between the minor girl and another minor, although the law treated it as a case of rape given her age.
Read also:‘The state cannot choose between citizens’: Supreme Court refuses to reopen 15-year-old girl’s abortion case
The court on April 29 dismissed the review petition filed by AIIMS against the medical direction to terminate the pregnancy of a 15-year-old girl seven months ago.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalia Bagchi said that priority should be given to selecting the girl’s family. They advised the institute to explain the consequences of this action to the girl’s parents so that they can make an informed decision.
Judge Bagchi said: “No, we will not allow the institution to choose for the parents. The parents will choose, and the institution will enable them to choose.”
The mother of the minor girl approached the court for permission for the MTP because she had exceeded the legal limit. It had earlier moved the Delhi High Court where the MTP application was rejected on April 21.
