11-year-old girl delivered of baby girl after being denied abortion

 Asuncion (Paraguay) – An 11-year-old girl was
delivered of a baby girl on Friday in Asuncion,
Paraguay, in a case that sparked outrage from
numerous observers
The family’s lawyer, Elizabeth Torales, told the press
at the Reina Sofia hospital that the child mother was
delivered of the baby through Cesarean Section and
that both the mother and the baby were well.
She said that the baby would remain in hospital for a
few days and her mother and grandmother had
applied for custody.
Torales said the horrifying details surrounding the
young girl’s pregnancy were clouding the future.
She noted that when the case first broke out earlier
this year, it was widely reported that the girl had
been raped by her stepfather when she was 10.
The lawyer said the man had since been charged and
the case was pending in court.
Torales said the 11-year-old’s mother was facing
charges of negligence, which would most likely
impact her bid for custody of the newborn.
She, however, said the worse news yet came after
the government turned down a petition by the
mother on behalf of the pregnant girl for an
abortion.
Paraguay takes stringent line on abortion, ruling it
out in all cases except when the mother’s life is in
danger.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International had released a
statement following the birth and expressed relief
that the mother and the child were healthy, but
slammed the government.
It said “the fact she did not die does not excuse the
human rights violations she suffered.’’
A doctor from Reina Sofia hospital complained that
teenage pregnancy is rampant in Paraguay.
He said that two 12-year-old girls were also awaiting
delivery at the hospital.