Pregnant 10-year-old girl denied ‘life-saving abortion after stepfather rapes her’

A 10-year-old rape victim has been denied an abortion, despite the fact her pregnancy could kill her

Pregnant 10-year-old girl denied ‘life-saving abortion after stepfather rapes her’

by Kayleigh Dray |
Published on

The little girl had been complaining of stomach cramps, so was taken to a hospital in Asuncion, Paraguay earlier this month.

Scans soon revealed that the 10-year-old was 21 weeks pregnant.

According to Amnesty International, the pregnancy was caused after the girl was sexually assaulted by her stepfather.

Despite the fact that the hospital director has publicly confirmed that the pregnancy is a risk to the young girl’s health and life, the unnamed child has so far been denied a termination.

Instead she has reportedly been sent to a centre for young mothers, where she is said to be meeting regularly with maternity staff and a psychologist throughout her high-risk pregnancy.

According to Fox News Latino the child's mother could now face prison for "not providing the requisite care" to her daughter.

In a press release prosecutors also accused her of being an accomplice in the "sexual abuse of children".

The girl's stepfather is currently on the run and is wanted on sexual abuse charges.

In Paraguay, abortion is only permitted when the life of the woman or girl is at risk. In any other circumstances, even if pregnancy is the result of rape, incest or when the foetus has a severe malformation, abortion is not permitted.

“The physical and psychological impact of forcing this young girl to continue with an unwanted pregnancy is tantamount to torture," said Guadalupe Marengo, Americas Deputy Director at Amnesty International.

@The Paraguayan authorities cannot sit idly by while this young rape-survivor is forced to endure more agony and torment.

“Forcing this child to carry a baby to term, against her will, could have devastating health consequences.”

Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us