In a perfect world, one would hope that no woman would need to consider an abortion. There is unfortunately, no perfect world and there does not seem there will ever be a perfect world. So consider ...
1. A child rape case in Paraguay.
... But the plot unfolding in Paraguay is so dark and twisted that it is currently tearing the South American country apart.
It began on April 21 when a mother brought her 10-year-old daughter to a public hospital. The girl was complaining of abdominal pains, and her mother feared she had a tumor. When doctors examined the girl, however, they determined she was 22 weeks pregnant.
The mother told authorities her daughter must have been raped and singled out a prime suspect: her own husband, the girl’s stepfather.
By then, however, 42-year-old Gilberto Benitez had gone into hiding. While authorities launched a manhunt for Benitez, his wife demanded her daughter receive an abortion. But Paraguay, a devoutly Catholic country, allows abortion only in cases where the mother’s life is at risk.
A fierce public debate ensued. Amnesty International called on the government to allow an abortion, arguing that it was dangerous for a 75-pound girl to give birth. “The physical and psychological impact of forcing this young girl to continue with an unwanted pregnancy is tantamount to torture,” said Amnesty International’s Guadalupe Marengo in news release. “The Paraguayan authorities cannot sit idly by while this young rape-survivor is forced to endure more agony and torment.”
But Paraguayan Health Minister Antonio Barrios insisted that the girl was in good health and that a late-term abortion would be risky.
No further comment is neccessary.
