A 12-year-old girl who was raped has reportedly given birth to twins after so many attempts by her to abort the pregnancy failed.
AFNews understands that a caesarean section (C-section) was carried out on the young girl to deliver the twins.
In Argentina, abortion is regarded as a criminal offence which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, this online news platform understands. The young girl was said to have attempted to abort the pregnancy but was denied the right to do so.
Mail Online reports that the girl who is a resident of Monterrico, in Argentina was operated at the Hector Quintana Maternal and Child hospital on Sunday, December 6. It added that Authorities in Jujuy restrained the girl from aborting the pregnancy, forcing her to keep the unwanted pregnancy until the twins could be safely delivered by caesarean section despite abortion only legalised in cases of rape.
The development has, however, outraged medical practitioners in the community who have condemned the authority’s decision to deny the girl her right for abortion on the case of rape.
Reacting to the forceful Child delivery, the Jujuy branch of Health Professionals for the Right to Decide in a press release accused the State of ‘sinisterly perpetuating’ inequalities faced by abused girls when it should be protecting them.
The statement reads partly: “Despite the fact that the National Directorate of Sexual Health made an offer to immediately resolve the situation, preserving the physical and emotional health of the girl, the authorities in charge of the local Health portfolio, rejected the proposal and they decided not to guarantee this girl her right to ILE (legal interruption of pregnancy).”
It added that the ‘authorities of deliberately delaying acting on the girl’s situation until she was far enough into her pregnancy for the twins to survive outside of her womb.’
According to Human Rights Watch, legislation around abortion in Argentina does not set a time limit for legal abortions but authorities and health officials often set arbitrary limits.
However, after the successful caesarian section, the girl was placed under the care of the Children’s Ombudsman due to her parent’s ‘legal situation’, AFNews learnt.
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