‘A Rape Survivor Impregnated By Her Assailant Must Be Made Aware Of Her Rights’: SC

‘A Rape Survivor Impregnated By Her Assailant Must Be Made Aware Of Her Rights’: SC

Here’s the thing, with the growing number of rapes in the country it’s no secret that we need newer, more stringent laws. Women’s safety in our country is negligible and hence, it can’t come as a shock that our rights aren’t safeguarded either. More often than not, the rapist walks off scot-free but the woman is traumatized for life. A lot of times, the girl is also impregnated by the rapist. What are her rights? Is she allowed to have a late abortion? And what is she is a minor? There are so many essential questions that aren’t answered. In most cases, the pregnant rape victim is not even advised of her rights. To correct that, the Supreme Court has issued a notice to the central government saying that rape survivors who are impregnated by their assailant must be told their rights. This needs to be made a law. It will make the lives of so many women so much easier.

On Friday, the SC issued a notice to the central government that said that rape victims who are impregnated by their assailants need to be made aware of their rights. This comes based on a plea to set up medical boards in states and union territories to decide cases of unwanted pregnancies of over 20 weeks for termination. Under normal circumstances, Section 3 of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971 prohibits termination of pregnancy after 20 weeks. But of course, an impregnated rape survivor is an exception and she should be able to avail whatever option that suits her best to reduce her trauma.

According to reports, a bench headed by CJI S A Bobde said, “If a woman is raped and is pregnant, she must be told about her legal rights.”

Also Read: The Supreme Court Says Man Is Liable For The Injuries Inflicted On His Wife In The Matrimonial Home

This came after lawyer V K Biju, appearing for a 14-year-old rape survivor, decided to not seek legal permission to terminate her 26-week pregnancy on account of some medical opinion. The rape survivor was not aware of her rights and that is a much larger issue. Taking this up, justice A S Bopanna proposed to set up medical boards in every state and UT. We are all for this idea!

SC has sought an answer from the central government within four weeks. Let’s hope they too see how essential this is. Making the rape survivor aware of her rights should be our number one priority and these medical boards will really help by lessening their trauma of having to carry their rapist’s child. Of course, if an abortion is what they want even if it’s later in the pregnancy.

We love everything about this initiative!

https://thehauterfly.com/lifestyle/supreme-court-to-observe-the-calculation-of-notional-income-of-homemakers-based-on-their-work-labour-and-sacrifices/

Mitali Shah

Read More From Mitali
Seen it all?

We’ve got more!