The Kerala High Court permits a young daughter to give her sick father a portion of her liver.

A 17-year-old girl was given permission by the Kerala High Court on Tuesday to give a portion of her liver to her sick father [Devananda PP v. The Department of Health & Family Welfare Government of Kerala & Anr].

Even though the expert committee established by the Appropriate Authority under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 initially believed that the daughter could not be exempted from the restriction imposed by the Act and Rules on organ donation by minors, single-judge Justice VG Arun asked it to reconsider its position after learning that another team of experts had reached the opposite conclusion.

The father of the petitioner in the current case has liver illness and is in serious condition; experts have suggested that the only treatment is a liver transplant.

This news is written by Ms. Amrita Singh, Research Assistant, All India Legal Forum.