MUMBAI -- A baby boy born to a 13-year-old rape survivor died barely 48 hours after his birth at a government hospital in Mumbai, doctors said.
The girl, who was allowed by the Supreme Court to terminate her 32-week-old pregnancy on medical grounds, had on Friday delivered the baby after a caesarean section operation at the hospital, a doctor had earlier said.
The baby, who weighed 1.8kg, died on Sunday at around 10.30am.
The premature infant was kept in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the J J Hospital as most of his organs were underdeveloped, hospital sources said.
His condition turned critical yesterday and doctors removed him from an oxygen machine and put him on a ventilator, they said.
A medical officer said the hospital could not comment on the cause of the death as the postmortem report was yet to be finalised.
The teenager, who is still in the hospital, is being treated by gynaecologist Ashok Anand.
"We will discharge her from the hospital after her recovery," Dr Anand said.
In its ruling on September 6, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had directed that the medical procedure be conducted on the girl at the earliest, preferably on September 8, after it took note of the report of the Supreme Court- appointed medical board comprising doctors of the J J Hospital.
The victim, a Mumbai resident and a Class 7 student, had to knock the doors of the apex court as the law prohibits the abortion of a foetus after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The bench also took note of the risk factors and asked the hospital to admit the girl a day before the abortion.
Section 3(2)(b) of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act prohibits the abortion of a foetus after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The doctors at the J J Hospital said the girl's family members, who initially wanted the girl's pregnancy to be terminated, later changed their mind and were thinking of keeping the baby.
The girl was allegedly raped by her father's associate. Last month, the family discovered that she was pregnant.
Male Child Abuse Survivors
Praveen Minj(01 of05)
Open Image Modal"I never really understood it then, but now when I look back at my life I understand how much I really suffered. Sadly, more than the abuse, it was the how the trauma of it changed me as a person.
As a male child I was always expected to be strong. My mother’s suffering in her life, forced me to hide my own pain and take the onus of healing, upon myself. Eventually, this kept on adding to my baggage of constant self-victimizing , self criticism, self-doubt, and self-disbelief." (credit:Photographer Deepti Asthana/Courtesy The Hands of Hope Foundation)
Abhhydday Paathak(02 of05)
Open Image Modal"Sometimes the very wounds that cripple us hold the key to our healing. So here I am, breaking the silence.
In the attic of my childhood, I lost the child within me. I was 5 when my fairy tale turned into a nightmare. Like the caged, mute animals, digging canals to escape the predator, I too found myself, dodging the predator who terrorized my body and soul almost every day. Ironically, he was an officer charged with the responsibility to safeguard me. I know rationally that none of it was my fault. But, the threats then didn’t allow me to see otherwise." (credit:Photographer Deepti Asthana/Courtesy The Hands of Hope Foundation)
Mohammed Ali(03 of05)
Open Image ModalAli was 9 years old when he was first sexually abused at a railway station in Mumbai. His abusers were not one but many--older boys, cops, drug addicts, whoever got hold of him. (credit:Photographer Deepti Asthana/Courtesy The Hands of Hope Foundation)
Rajeev Pandey(04 of05)
Open Image Modal"I was taken to a dark empty room in the huge family house. He told me the medicine he had would only work if I kept it a secret. He then pulled down my pants, and abused me. It hurt me no end, but I bravely bore it. After all, I was on my way to becoming like my father.
The abuse continued. So did the pain." (credit:Photographer Deepti Asthana/Courtesy The Hands of Hope Foundation)
Roshan Kokane(05 of05)
Open Image Modal"I was 10-years-old when I was sexually abused for the first time. I was napping in the noon on my bed after a tiring day at school and suddenly opened my eyes to the sensation of someone trying to physically hurt me. I was scared, shocked and I didn’t move a bit. Fear and confusion gripped me that afternoon.
The abuser was unfortunately someone from my family. Every time I was alone, they would touch me in the most inappropriate ways and force me to do the same with them. They would do it as frequent as one or twice a week." (credit:Photographer Deepti Asthana/Courtesy The Hands of Hope Foundation)