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Doctors fear teen's health, support abortion

The girl is 27-weeks pregnant and her family is likely to approach the Supreme Court.

Mumbai: The doctors and psychiatrists monitoring the health of the 13-year-old Mumbai rape survivor have said that her foetus is normal. The girl is 27-weeks pregnant and her family is likely to approach the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking medical termination of her pregnancy, according to her lawyer, Sneha Mukherjee. Taking into consideration her tender age, the pregnancy can prove to be life threatening as she is likely to develop complications and may also have to deal with the psychological impact of the trauma.

The girl’s family wants the permission to medically terminate the pregnancy as they tensed and unhappy with the girl’s stay at the state-run Asha Dham shelter home. She was taken to the J.J. Hospital for tests. Her lawyer Sneha Mukherjee, who is going to file a petition for abortion on the girl’s behalf on Wednesday, said, “We are waiting for the documents and as soon as we are done with that, we will file a petition on Wednesday.”

Talking to The Asian Age, Dr Nikhil Datar, who is helping the parents in filing the abortion, said, “Her condition is not normal. At such a tender age, her body is not fully developed to carry and deliver a baby and the mental trauma she will have to go through is going to be frantic.”

Child psychiatrist Dr Ali Gabrani said, “Her mental condition is currently very bad as she is reeling with the shock of the ordeal. If she stays this way for a longer time, it will impact her psyche and it would be really difficult for her to cope up with the future.”

Dr Gabrani further added, “She needs love, care and the support of her parents along with constant counselling to tackle the traumatic journey to prevent the life threatening stages she might have to face otherwise.”

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