UP father makes desperate appeal to abort child of 14-yr-old rape victim

Bareilly: A 14-year-old rape victim’s father in Uttar Pradesh will approach the Allahabad High Court next week to seek permission to abort her 30-week foetus.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, he had appealed to both lower court and a fast-track court for the termination of the teen’s pregnancy when the foetus was 26 weeks. However, both the courts refused to grant permission.

Senior Gynaecologist Dr Bharti Saran said that in such cases, medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) is allowed till 28 weeks, "after that the foetus is called viable and can only be delivered not terminated."

The father, who is concerned about his daughter’s future, now desperately seeks the approval for MTP of the high court, as he is not working anymore and fears he “won’t be able to feed her and her child.”

“Who will accept a daughter with a child before marriage... and I cannot feed her anymore,” said the father, who has eight children including the rape survivor.

The pregnant rape survivor’s father worked with a road construction company before he learnt about his daughter’s pregnancy in May.

He went against his community, which “used every possible ploy to break” them, and chose law to seek justice for his daughter. He received partial justice when the accused “who repeatedly raped the girl on the pretext of marrying her and left her when she conceived” was jailed.

Now he hopes the high court accepts his appeal. “I will stay with the path I have chosen, rest is up to the almighty.”