Woman Demands Compensation For Unwanted Pregnancy

Three children and two sterilisation operations later, when Bihar villager Rita Devi still conceived, she decided to make the authorities pay for it.

Devi, a 30-something resident of Ruoli village in Muzaffarpur district, had got herself operated at the government run Sadar hospital.

So she has filed a petition with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), demanding compensation. She alleges that family planning operations at government run clinics in the district are a farce and officials are only interested in minting money.

Following her petition, the NHRC has sought a report from the district magistrate who in turn has directed the civil surgeon to submit a detailed reply in this connection.

Devi underwent a family planning operation in 2000, but conceived in 2001 and delivered a baby. She then approached the district authorities concerned and on their advice, she underwent the family planning operation again in 2003.

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