Gang-rape survivor gives birth to healthy boy

RAJKOT: A 24-year-old gang-rape survivor from Ranpur village of Botad district gave birth to a male child in Bhavnagar Civil Hospital on Wednesday afternoon. The Botad district administration has now taken over the custody of the child.
The woman had got pregnant after she was allegedly abducted and gang-raped by seven men for over six months. From the very beginning, the woman didn't want the child because her family and in-laws were not ready to accept it.
"Both woman and child are fine and their health is good. She gave birth to a boy at 2:53 pm. The baby weighs 3 kgs,'' Dr. M P Singh, medical superintendent of civil hospital told TOI.
The woman's mother told TOI: "Government officials have taken custody of the child. As such, my daughter didn't want the child and that's why we had approached the high court."
She also lamented the fact that they were brought to the Bhavnagar civil hospital 10 days ahead of the due date of delivery and had to spent Rs 200 everyday on miscellaneous expenses.
In April this year, Gujarat High Court had refused the woman permission to terminate pregnancy, citing that law does not permit abortion beyond 20 weeks' pregnancy. She was 28-weeks pregnant when she had approached the HC. The woman is a native of Botad district and was living in Surat with her husband and two children.
The woman had moved court saying she became pregnant after being raped for over six months. When she managed to escape after months of torture, she was already few months into pregnancy. This led to delay in her moving court for permission for abortion.
While denying her permission to abort, the high court had directed Botad collector to ensure that woman is provided all possible medical help for a safe delivery and the child is not abandoned.
Justice J B Pardiwala, who had heard her plea, had observed: "She will have to bravely go ahead with the pregnancy and when time comes, she should deliver the child. I am conscious of the fact that it is easy for a judge to say so in his judgment because it is ultimately the applicant (rape survivor) who will have to face the hard days ahead, but howsoever harsh one may find the law, yet it remains the law and one has to respect it. She must understand that termination at this stage will put her own life in peril."