© Norberto Duarte/AFP/Getty ImagesThe 10-year-old is staying at a Red Cross hospital in Asuncíon.
- Mother reported in January 2014 that stepfather was sexually abusing child
- Catholic country only allows abortion if pregnancy is 'life-threatening'
Paraguayan authorities have ruled out abortion for a pregnant 10-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by her stepfather, unless she develops complications that put her life in danger.
Despite a plea from the girl's mother and an international outcry, senior medical officials in Asunción told the
Guardian that more than 22 weeks into the pregnancy, there are no health risks that would allow doctors to circumvent the Catholic country's stringent anti-abortion laws.
"Right now, there is no reason to interrupt the pregnancy," Lida Sosa, director of healthcare programs at the ministry of public health and wellness, said. "In fact, given the stage of the pregnancy, it's even more dangerous for the girl to undergo a procedure [to abort] without a well-considered medical, obstetrical evaluation."
The stance of the Paraguayan authorities has enraged human rights groups and feminist activists, who believe the girl - whose name has been withheld because she is a minor -
faces psychological and health risks if the baby is born because of her young age and the circumstances that resulted in the pregnancy.
The 10-year-old is one of three children who share a rented room in the city of Luque with her mother and stepfather.
Comment: Given the current state of society in the U.S., one wonders how often these types of transactions occur. It's a safe bet that this is not an isolated case.