NEW DELHI, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Doctors in northern Indian state of Haryana have allowed a 10-year-old girl impregnated by her stepfather to terminate pregnancy, officials said Wednesday.
The panel of doctors at Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) hospital in Rohtak district appointed by a local court in their report recommended abortion in case of the victim.
The pregnancy termination is likely to take place this week.
Indian law prohibits disclosing the names of rape victims.
A plea to abort the unwanted foetus was made by the girl's mother at the court, for it might have outgrown the 20-week legal ceiling for termination of pregnancy.
According to the medical board, the girl's pregnancy could be anywhere between 18 and 22 weeks. Court sought opinion of the doctors in the case.
The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act in India prohibits abortion after 20 weeks, except when the mother's life is under risk.
If not aborted, the girl is due to give birth in four months.
The victim, according to the statement of doctors, was too young to bear a child, and a full-term pregnancy and childbirth can put her life in danger.
"The medical board took a humanistic approach and decided to abort keeping in view the age of victim," Ashok Chauhan, a doctor said.
"Abortion will be less risky, for delivery in this case could be fraught with risks such as excessive bleeding and post-operative complications."
The victim has been admitted at PGIMS hospital. The girl, according to police, was raped by her stepfather many a times and threatened to remain silent.
The crime came to light when she complained of a stomach ache to her mother, a migrant laborer from Bihar. Medical test prescribed by doctors last week revealed her pregnancy.
Police have arrested the stepfather of the victim on charges of rape, authorities said.
India has a strict anti-abortion law aimed at preventing the practice of female foeticide rampant in most of the states. The Indian states largely present a patriarchal setup where families are obsessed with a male heir.
However, the law comes in the way of rape survivors seeking to abort their unwanted foetuses.
Haryana has a skewed gender ratio and crimes against women in this state often makes headlines.
Last week, a 23-year-old young women was abducted, raped and subsequently killed by her ex-boyfriend in state's Rohtak district.
Scrutiny of violence against women in India has grown after 2012 fatal gang-rape of a medical student in New Delhi. Though it brought spotlight on crimes against women in India, however, brutal sexual attacks against women continue to be reported across India.
