The case surrounding a 10 year-old pregnant girl in Paraguay who is being denied an abortion by the government has split the country, raising awareness of some of the most important and controversial issues of our time regarding sexual assault and reproductive rights.
What Happened?
On April 21st a mother brought her 10 year-old daughter to a public hospital in Paraguay after the young girl complained of a stomach ache. After an examination, a doctor determined the young girl was 22 weeks pregnant. Her mother told authorities that the girl must have been raped by her stepfather, Gilberto Benitez, who is now awaiting trial.
The girl’s mother immediately asked for her daughter to receive an abortion, however she was denied one due to Paraguay’s strict laws on the issue. The country only allows abortion in cases where the mother’s life is at risk. Arguing that the 10 year-old is in good health and too far along in her pregnancy to warrant an abortion, the Paraguayan Health Minster has “completely ruled out abortion” as an option for the child, who is reported to weigh just 75 pounds.
This case has sparked a fierce debate throughout Paraguay and rights groups worldwide. Speaking out about the case, Amnesty International’s Guadalupe Marengo said in a news release that “The physical and psychological impact of forcing this young girl to continue with an unwanted pregnancy is tantamount to torture.”
On Monday a rally in Ciudad del Este drew over 200 protestors marching under banners calling for “No More Abuse!” For a country with little history of protest or social movement, these rallies are a hugely significant.
Why is this so important?
Unfortunately this story is not a lone event- in 2014 almost 700 girls between 10 and 14 years old gave birth in Paraguay- but it seems like the country has finally had enough. Not only do the protests against this individual case highlight the detrimental abortion laws still active in such a huge percentage of the world, but they also raise awareness of the huge number of unreported rapes that take place every year.
There are obviously huge changes that need to be made in terms of establishing a system where women are free to express their human right to choose, but before that can happen, it’s crucial to begin establishing a dialogue surrounding these issues. The first step to reducing the number of rape cases and implementing safe abortion laws is making women feel like these are issues they are allowed to talk about, and ensuring that cultural, religious and economic issues aren’t preventing any women from getting the medical care and support that is their right.
The Global Situation
When reading about extreme cases such as this, it’s easy to think that these kind of issues only effect those living in countries with extremist governments or religions. But threats on sexual and reproductive health rights are an issue worldwide, and one that we need to continue to fight for.
For example, in the US, The nations Supreme Court has been recognising the constitutional right for a woman to make her own medical decisions, including the decision to have an abortion, without political interference, since 1973. But still, to this day, the fight to prevent dangerous bills, regulations and executive actions that would prevent a woman from making her own personal, private decisions about her health continues in almost every state throughout the US.
Planned Parenthood Action works every day to fight back against statehouses and courtrooms trying to implement these kinds of regulations, and this video does an amazing job in explaining why this issue is so much more complicated than just pro-choice or pro-life.
The story of the 10-year-old girl in Paraguay is just one terrible piece of a much larger, gobal, picture, centred around the fight for all women to be given the right to be in control of their own bodies, and not have their lives and health dictated by government, culture, or economics. While it’s painful to read stories like this, each time that the public is made aware of these issues and begins to fight back, it’s a huge important step forward in this battle.
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of each of the partners of Global Citizen.