An 11-year-old Paraguayan girl who had been denied an abortion gave
birth on Thursday, aftercare father raped her when she was 10 years old.
Elizabeth Torales, a lawyer for the girl's mother, told The Associated
Press that the minor gave birth to a baby girl via cesarean in a Red
Cross hospital in Asuncion, Paraguay's capital. Torales said that
doctors told her there were no complications and both the mother and
baby were resting. She said that her client, the daughter who gave birth
and the girl's grandmother had requested custody of the infant.
The stepfather has since been arrested and is awaiting trial. The girl's mother has been charged with negligence.
The mother requested an abortion for her daughter, but the government refused to allow it, drawing praise from religious groups but criticism from many human rights organizations, including U.N. officials. Paraguay bans abortion except when the mother's life is in danger. At the time, the girl was five months pregnant and local health officials said she appeared to be in fine health.
In a statement Thursday, Amnesty International said the organization was glad the girl had come through the birth, but the fact that "she did not die does not excuse the human rights violations she suffered at the hands of the Paraguayan authorities."
While the case did spark some discussion about abortion in the deeply conservative country, the focus of several protests was on better protecting children from abuse.
11 year old having a baby? She's still a child for crying out loud.This is just sad and heart breaking.
The mother requested an abortion for her daughter, but the government refused to allow it, drawing praise from religious groups but criticism from many human rights organizations, including U.N. officials. Paraguay bans abortion except when the mother's life is in danger. At the time, the girl was five months pregnant and local health officials said she appeared to be in fine health.
In a statement Thursday, Amnesty International said the organization was glad the girl had come through the birth, but the fact that "she did not die does not excuse the human rights violations she suffered at the hands of the Paraguayan authorities."
While the case did spark some discussion about abortion in the deeply conservative country, the focus of several protests was on better protecting children from abuse.
11 year old having a baby? She's still a child for crying out loud.This is just sad and heart breaking.
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