The Allahabad High Court (AHC) in a plea to terminate a 25-week pregnancy of a juvenile rape victim held that a woman cannot be forced to give birth to the child of a man who had sexually assaulted her. The AHC noted that Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 has specifically laid down rape and minority of the mother as grounds to terminate a pregnancy up to 24 weeks. Further, the AHC, directing a medical hospital to examine the victim, noted that constitutional Courts have allowed the termination of pregnancies beyond 24 weeks in exceptional cases.
