JODHPUR, June 22 -- The Rajasthan high court on Friday upheld the reproductive autonomy of a 17-year-old minor rape survivor who expressed her unwillingness to terminate her 22-week pregnancy. The court declined a plea filed by the girl's mother seeking medical termination of the pregnancy, holding that the girl's consent overrides that of her guardian. The minor's mother had approached the court under Article 226 of the Constitution, seeking a direction to terminate the pregnancy under the provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971. The petition stated that the girl, a rape victim, was incapable of making an informed decision and that continuing the pregnancy would severely affect her physical and mental health. However, after considering the medical board's report and the girl's own written and oral statements, the court found her mentally and emotionally capable of making her own decision. "The minor victim has sufficient level of understanding the consequences of her actions and if her consent is ignored completely then this would lead to forcible termination of her pregnancy which would cause grave mental and physical trauma to her," observed the vacation bench presided over by justice Chandra Prakash Shrimali. Relying on a Supreme Court judgment, the bench noted: "There is no doubt that a woman's right to make reproductive choices is a dimension of 'personal liberty'. The consent of the pregnant woman in matters of reproductive choices and abortion is paramount, and no entity, even the state, can usurp her consent." The court also took note of the girl's willingness to raise the child and her repeated assertion that she did not want the pregnancy terminated....