Indian Court Grants 13-Year-Old Permission to Abort 32-Week-Old Baby

A court in India has granted permission for a 13-year-old girl to abort her 32-weeks-old unborn baby.

Although abortions are not allowed in India at a gestation longer than 20 weeks, the court considered the young girl’s case because she became pregnant through rape.

LifeNews.com reports that the parents of the girl, who are from Mumbai, took her to a doctor because she was rapidly gaining weight. They thought she had an issue with her thyroid, but then the doctor told them their daughter was 27 weeks pregnant.

Neither the parents or the girl apparently suspected she was pregnant. The perpetrator of the rape was reportedly a coworker of the girl’s father.

“It has been emotionally draining for the girl’s parents as their child is pregnant and they are unable to cope up with this fact,” said the girl’s lawyer, arguing her case in court.

The girl is scheduled to undergo her abortion on Friday, although she will go into the clinic on Thursday because the procedure is drawn-out and potentially dangerous at this advanced stage of gestation.

The doctor has advised an abortion because the girl’s pelvis is not fully formed which could make childbirth risky, but, as LifeNews reports, an abortion at this stage also poses health risks.

Pray for this young girl and her family. We pray that they would choose life, but even if not, that she would find healing, repentance, and forgiveness.

Publication date: September 7, 2017