Can person of below average intelligence not be a mother: HC

The woman has been diagnosed with 'borderline intellectual disability', with an IQ of 75

- Urvi Mahajani

Does a woman with below average intelligence have no right to be a mother, asked the Bombay High Court on Tuesday.

The court was hearing a plea by her father seeking permission to medically terminate pregnancy of 21 weeks on the grounds that she was mentally unsound, unmarried and incapable of raising a child. However, the woman, 27, expressed her desire to continue the pregnancy.

A division bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Rajesh Patil noted that the woman had been on medication since 2011 but had not received psychological counselling. She was examined by a medical board at JJ Hospital, which reported that she was not mentally ill but diagnosed with 'borderline intellectual disability', with an IQ of 75.