Asunción Red Cross Director Mario Villalba has confirmed that an 11 year old female gave birth to a baby on Thursday in Asunción, Paraguay. The new mother was allegedly raped by her own stepfather and the reason why the little girl gave birth in the first place was because she was denied the right to an abortion.
The girl and her mother found out about her pregnancy after she was complaining of abdominal problems. The mother wanted an abortion and human rights groups like Amnesty International were prepared to support her decision. “The physical and psychological impact of forcing this young girl to continue with an unwanted pregnancy is tantamount to torture,” Guadalupe Marengo, deputy director for the Americas at Amnesty International said. “The Paraguayan authorities cannot sit idly by while this young rape survivor is forced to endure more agony and torment.”
The girl’s stepfather had a DNA test done to prove that he was not the father, thus proving that he did not rape his stepdaughter, but he was arrested, along with the child’s mother, and was charged with rape and child abuse.
Erika Guevara, Amnesty’s Americas director, said that even though the little girl didn’t die, that “does not excuse the human rights violations she suffered at the hands of the Paraguayan authorities, who decided to gamble with her health, life and integrity despite overwhelming evidence that this pregnancy was extremely risky and despite the fact that she was a rape victim and a child.” Since doctors ruled that the little girl did not have an “at risk pregnancy”, then she had to go through with it. If she hadn’t and her mother’s intentions of getting an abortion came to fruition then she’d be spending 5 years in prison!
Health minister Antonio Barrios insisted that the government did not want to interrupt the child’s pregnancy, but he reassured that, “The girl is getting assistance permanently in a shelter and the pregnancy is progressing normally without a problem.” CNN reports that “684 girls between the ages of 10 and 14 gave birth last year. Most of the minors had been victims of sexual abuse, according to government figures.” Citizens of this country believe that giving rights to women could prevent these incidences from occurring more frequently.
Roommates, what do you think about abortion laws? We know it’s touchy, but give us your opinion in the comments!
TSR Intern: Talia O. @theclosetratchet on Instagram & @tallyohhh on Twitter!
