The Bombay High Court today permitted a mentally challenged rape victim to abort her 22-week-old foetus. In a significant order, the court also ruled that as the victim was mentally challenged and incapable of taking her own decisions, her legal guardian–in this case her mother–must be allowed to take the decision on her behalf.
The court cited the Supreme Court’s 2009 order that had held that a woman’s right to exercise her reproductive choices was part of personal liberty guaranteed by the constitution.
