Ladakh High Court – The Court held that the right to demand medical termination of pregnancy cannot be considered an absolute right independent of medical realities and expert assessment. (AI-generated image) The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has refused to allow a minor rape victim to medically terminate her pregnancy, which had extended to about 27 weeks, taking into account the medical board’s opinion that the proposed termination involved substantial risk to her life.

Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal dismissed a petition as the gestational period exceeded the statutory limit prescribed under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971. The court said in its judgment, “Once the expert body in the form of a duly constituted Medical Board has opined that abortion at the present stage poses a serious and imminent threat to the life of the victim, this Court cannot ignore or dismiss such expert medical opinion merely on the basis of sympathetic considerations. ” Order dated 21 May.