No abortion: 11-year-old raped girl gives birth to a baby
In Argentina, an 11-year-old girl gave birth after being raped. She had to, because the government refused an abortion, despite several requests from her mother and human rights activists to remove the fetus. Eventually, she underwent a cesarean section: “Horror for an 11-year-old child.”
Lucia, an 11-year-old Argentinian girl, was 24 weeks pregnant when doctors decided to allow her to give birth to her baby via cesarean section. The baby was about the size of a corncob (30 centimeters) and had a small chance of survival, but considering Lucia’s young age and guaranteeing her safety, there was not much else.
Suicide Five weeks ago, doctors at the Eva Peron hospital in northern Argentina discovered that the 11-year-old girl had been pregnant for 19 weeks. And the doctors were not only stunned by her young age. After all, Lucia was brought to the hospital for a reason other than her pregnancy: she had severe cuts on her arms that suggested insinuating suicide.
Old man
Lucia wanted “the thing that the old man put into me” disappeared. After all, her pregnancy was the result of repeated abuse. And the old man that Lucia was referring to was the 65-year-old partner of her grandmother. Her grandmother received custody three years ago over Lucia and her two older sisters after being abused by their mother’s friend.
Because the girl was only 11 years old, and because her pregnancy was the result of rape, the doctors, human rights activists, and Lucia’s mother worked hard for an abortion. The Argentine press also mixed and reported extensively about the tragic fate of Lucia.
Argentine abortion
But despite the great interest, the request for an abortion was denied again and again by the Argentine government.
In Argentina, abortion is strictly forbidden. However, there are two exceptions when the pregnancy is the result of rape, or when the woman’s own safety is compromised by pregnancy. In the 11-year-old girl, both exceptions applied, but she was not allowed to commit an abortion.
I want the thing that the old man put in me
Lucia, a victim of rape
Victim of the election battle
On the other side are the resistance fighters who are strongly opposed to abortion. Among them also Carlos Alberto Sanchez: the archbishop in Tucuman, the Argentinean province where Lucia lives. He does not only speak strict about the abortion but also revealed the true identity of Lucia who was kept secret by the press.
“Both lives” could be saved according to the archbishop. “That defenseless creature was ripped out of his mother’s womb when it was only 24 weeks old and premature. Now it is there with tubes and little chance of survival. If the pregnancy had lasted twenty days longer, both the mother and the child could have lived,” added an Argentine journalist via a Twitter message.
He continues: “I do not care about the attacks against me. The photo is obvious that it was downloaded from the Internet. How much do you bother seeing a baby in a critical situation? More morbid is killing the innocent and dehumanizing people. It is representative of the situation that this baby girl is going through.”
“#Abortionists, there they have their trophy … Happy? What kind of humanity do they have?”
“#ImpunityGreen: I pray for that baby, for that mom and for you too.”
450,000 illegal abortions
Such reactions and strict abortion legislation in Argentina ensure that women all too often have illegal and unsafe abortions, albeit secretly. For example, an Argentine woman would have to undergo an abortion every 90 seconds. In total, there are 450,000 illegal abortions per year.
