An 11-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by her stepfather in Paraguay has delivered a baby girl after doctors refuse to carry out an abortion on her.
The Director of Red Cross Hospital in Asuncion, Paraguay, Dr Mario Villalba stated that the baby was delivered through caesarean section.
He said, “A baby girl, weighing 3.5kg (7lb 11oz), was born without any complications or anomalies.
“The post-operative recovery is going very well.”
The 11-year-old’s delivery sparked a wide outrage as the country frowns against abortion except when the mother’s life is at risk.
When the case first broke out in May, the girl was 10 years old and 22 weeks into the pregnancy.
Reacting to the incident, International humanitarian groups asked for the baby to be aborted as her body was not able to support the pregnancy.
However, the government and some other groups insisted that the pregnancy should not be terminated since it was at an advanced stage.
Commenting on the issue, Erika Guevara, Amnesty’s director for the Americas, stated, “Only time will tell the true extent of the physical and psychological consequences of her tragic ordeal.
“It is terrifying that her story will remain all too common unless Paraguay does more to protect victims of sexual violence, decriminalise abortion and guarantee the availability of modern contraceptives and access to information about sexual and reproductive rights.”
It will be recalled that the victim’s 42-year-old stepfather, Gilberto Benitez Zarate, was apprehended in May and has been arraigned for rape.
Zarate risks a 15-year jail term if he is convicted of the charge.
The 42-year-old however, denied the charges, adding that he was set up by his girlfriend, who happens to be the girl’s mother.
The girl’s mother has also been arraigned for negligence
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