A 66-year-old father has approached the Bombay High Court, seeking approval for the medical termination of his 27-year-old adopted daughter's pregnancy. The daughter, who has below-average intelligence and refuses to disclose the identity of the child's father, is over 20 weeks pregnant and has not consented to the procedure.
The father claims that his daughter has several mental disorders, including borderline personality disorders and depression, and is violent and in need of constant medication. He also states that she has been sexually active since the age of 13 or 14 and often ventures out at night without informing him.
The court criticized the father for allowing the woman to be out late at night.
“What kind of parenting is this?” the Court questioned.
The bench criticized the father for lax parenting, reminding him that he chose to adopt the woman and cannot abdicate his responsibility simply because she is violent and uncooperative.
“You chose to be her parent,” the court stated.
The Court also rebuked the parents for not lodging a first information report (FIR) with the police despite knowing that their daughter is a special child.
The Additional Public Prosecutor argued that the woman is not intellectually disabled, citing that she completed her 12th grade at a regular school and had not consented to the termination procedure. The prosecutor also referenced previous medical reports, suggesting that the woman's mental condition may stem from a lack of love and affection at the adopted home.
The Court ultimately referred the case to the medical board at JJ Hospital for evaluation of the fetus. The case has been postponed to January 8, pending the medical board's assessment.
