Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub-Editor: Joana Mihajlovska, Agency: Newsflash
A 12-year-old rape victim has given birth to twins in Argentina after being denied the right to a legal abortion.
The surgery was performed on the 12-year-old girl, name not disclosed, at the Children’s Hospital Dr Hector Quintana located in the city of San Salvador in the Argentine province of Jujuy on 29th November.
The young girl was forced to wait until the twin foetuses reached a certain level of maturity before the operation could be carried out.
The 12-year-old girl has now been placed under the care of the Children’s Ombudsman due to her parent’s “legal situation”, according to a statement by the Network of Health Professionals for the Right to Decide (Red de Profesionales de la Salud por el Derecho a Decidir) on 30th November.
The statement condemns the caesarean operation on the 12-year-old, saying she had the right to a legal termination of pregnancy given her young age.
The statement goes on to criticise provincial authorities for allowing the operation, which will leave a permanent scar on the victim’s body and could potentially lead to psychological issues down the line.
They accused officials of “buying time” to ensure the only option was to have the birth despite the fact they have a specific protocol which is carried out with UNICEF allowing teens under the age of 15 to have access to legal abortions given the health risks involved with underage pregnancy.
They said the National Direction of Sexual Health contacted provincial authorities and offered to immediately help the girl but were met with delays.
It is unclear what reasons officials gave for stalling the case.
There have been no further reports on the current status of the twins or the alleged rape case involving the 12-year-old girl.
There have been 685 births from adolescent mothers in Jujuy Province this year alone. Of those cases, 20 were girls aged between 10 and 14 years who were raped, according to local newspaper TodoJujuy. (https://bit.ly/2JYtE9A)
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