The Supreme Court of India has permitted a 15-year-old girl to undergo a medical termination of her pregnancy, which is over seven months along. Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan emphasized that a woman should not be forced to continue an unwanted pregnancy against her will.
The court stated that compelling a woman, especially a minor, to carry a pregnancy to full term would cause significant mental, emotional, and physical distress. It rejected suggestions that the girl give birth and place the newborn for adoption, asserting that the pregnant woman’s choice should be prioritized.
The bench remarked, “That cannot be a consideration particularly in cases where the child to be born is unwanted. In such a situation, directing the pregnant woman to give birth to the child against her wishes and therefore continue her pregnancy would negate the welfare of the pregnant woman and make it subordinate to the child yet to be born.”
