New Delhi: The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences challenging its earlier order that permitted the medical termination of a 28-week pregnancy of a 15-year-old girl, reaffirming the primacy of a minor’s reproductive rights.
The apex court rejected the review petition filed by AIIMS against its April 24 order, which had allowed the termination despite the pregnancy crossing the statutory limit under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.
The court expressed strong disapproval of the hospital’s move, observing that it was “strange” for AIIMS to challenge the court’s directive instead of complying with it. The court held that such a challenge risked undermining the constitutional rights of the minor.
The case pertains to a 15-year-old girl whose mother had approached the court seeking permission for termination of the advanced-stage pregnancy. In its earlier ruling, the Supreme Court had emphasised that no woman—particularly a minor—can be forced to continue an unwanted pregnancy, stressing that such compulsion would violate her dignity, autonomy and right to life.
The court also highlighted that continuing the pregnancy could have long-term consequences on the minor’s mental health, education, and social well-being, and that the wishes of the pregnant girl must take precedence over procedural limitations.
AIIMS had opposed the termination on medical and ethical grounds, reportedly warning that the procedure at such a late stage could result in the birth of a severely premature infant requiring intensive neonatal care.
Following the dismissal of the review plea, further legal developments have unfolded. A curative petition has been filed challenging the order, and a contempt plea has also been moved in connection with delays in implementing the court’s directive.
