Raped and pregnant 10-year-old denied abortion in Paraguay
Activists protest Paraguay authorities’ refusal to terminate the pregnancy of a girl allegedly raped by her stepfather.
The Paraguayan government’s decision to force a 10-year-old rape victim to carry her pregnancy to term is sparking significant backlash in the South American country. The mother brought the girl to an Asuncion hospital complaining of stomach pains in April, only to find she was more than 5 months pregnant. An arrest warrant has been issued for the 42-year-old stepfather who is accused of the rape, and is reportedly on the run.
The girl’s mother sought an abortion for her daughter, but the procedure is not allowed in Paraguay even in cases of rape, incest, or malformation of the fetus. Risk to the mother’s life is the only legal reason for terminating a pregnancy.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International created a campaign, #NiñaEnPeligro (“girl in danger”), to demand an abortion for the girl. They argue denying the procedure violates Paraguay’s international obligations, and is “tantamount to torture”.