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MUMBAI: A 13-year-old girl from the western suburbs, whose parents thought she was gaining weight due to a thyroid disorder, has turned out to be over six-and-half months pregnant.

The incident has come to light merely two weeks after a 10-year-old Chandigarh girl was denied abortion, triggering a national debate on her right to terminate the unwanted pregnancy .

The Mumbai girl is said to have gone into a shell after hearing the news of her pregnancy that entered the third trimester this week. She has clammed up and not told the police anything about a likely sexual assault. The girl and her family discovered the pregnancy during a visit to a local doctor to find out why she was becoming “obese“. The doctor advised an ultrasound scan, which found she was 27 weeks pregnant and, therefore, beyond the 20-week limit to abort the foetus under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.

The family approached gynaecologist Dr Nikhil Datar, who has helped several women approach the Supreme Court for late-term abortions, on Wednesday. He alerted the Dindoshi police as any incident of minor pregnancy is presumed to be an assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. Later, the Charkop police registered a case of sexual assault under POCSO and IPC against an unknown person.

“The girl, studying in the sixth or seventh standard, was clueless that she was carrying a baby. Her mother asked if she can undergo an abortion. Since she can't as per the law, we plan to approach the Supreme Court on Monday,“ said Datar. The doctor has helped nine women fight the abortion time limit; this will be his first case where a minor is involved.

The police told TOI that the victim is in shock. “She has not told us who is responsible for the sexual assault or where it occurred. The incident occurred at least seven months ago,“ a senior police officer said.

“Our officers went to the hospital to meet the girl. Her mother is the complainant in the FIR and we have recorded her statement,“ the officer said. The girl has now been referred to JJ hospital for a detailed examination. The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) will be involved as she is under-aged.“After the girl gives a statement to the CWC, they will inform us. The accused will be arrested once he is identified,“ the officer said.

Doctors in the city tackle an average of 200-plus abortions every year where the girl is less than 15. But most come within 20 weeks. “At 27 weeks, the baby is quite big. It poses an additional challenge for the girl who has to undergo a miniature labour almost, making her prone to several complications,“ said Dr Arun Nayak , associate professor of gynaecology at Sion Hospital that carries out the largest number of child deliveries in the city.“A good news is that over the years, the incidence of teenage pregnancy has declined. We seldom see cases now where the girl has waited for months after missing her monthly cycle,“ he said.

SC lets Pune woman abort 24-week foetus

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a Pune woman to abort her 24-week foetus as it is suffering from cardiac anomaly. It allowed her plea after a medical board recommended termination, saying the child, if born alive, would have to undergo multiple risky surgeries and is not expected to live to be an adult. The abortion will be performed by doctors of Pune's B J Government Medical College where she had undergone medical check-up.

