News

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

ARGENTINA, February 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A woman who is the product of the rape of her mentally-disabled mother is making a public plea for the life of an unborn child in danger of abortion in Santiago de Estero, Argentina.

The child’s grandparents have requested an abortion for their daughter, whom they say is mentally disabled and was raped.  Although all abortions are illegal in Argentina, they carry no penalty in such cases under current law.

“I identify with what is happening…I should clarify that it is not from the perspective of justice, nor the young rape victim (even if she is my age), but from the perspective of the baby that is developing inside of that poor woman,” writes the woman in a local newspaper, withholding her name to protect her family.

Explaining that her own mother was a mentally disabled rape victim, she notes that “I and my [twin] sister are almost 22 years old today…with a strong desire to make something good of our lives, and I think that that baby of almost three months [of gestation] hopes for the same thing.”

She recounts that when she reached adolescence, her mother told her “you don’t have a father, I was raped…I didn’t tell you before because I couldn’t tell a child of 12 years that she was the fruit of a rape, and that I was willing to give you up for adoption.”

“She thought of giving us up for adoption,” continues the woman in her letter, “but she never considered having an abortion.   She never thought about taking the possibility of life away from us, even though she was mentally ill, she never thought of killing us, despite not wanting us.”

“Many times, when she was seized by attacks of insanity she said ugly things to me.  But, do you know what?  I’m very grateful to her for having given me the chance to live, and for giving herself the chance to accept us and give us love.  I love her because she is my mother, and I know that despite the fact that she didn’t choose this, at least she had the courage to tell me what happened and I can share the pain with her.”

The case of the requested abortion has made headlines in Argentina, where pro-life sentiment is strong.  Although the law does not provide criminal penalties for abortions in such cases, they are often the subject of controversy in Argentinean society.

Last week a lawyer in the province offered his own plea for the child’s life, offering to adopt and raise it.

“Don’t kill the child, deliver it to the authorities, because there are many Argentineans who can’t have children, or give custody to me so that I can raise it, with the intervention of [the Ministry of] Justice,” said Dr. Lucian Pavo, in a public letter. “Please, let’s save this Argentinean.” (See LifeSiteNews coverage at https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09020303.html).

Contact Information:

Embassy of Argentina in the USA
1600 New Hampshire Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20009-2512
Phone (202) 238-6401
Fax (202) 332-3171

Embassy of Argentina in Canada
81 Metcalfe Street, Suite 700
Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 6K7
Tel: (613) 236-2351
Fax: (613) 235-2659
Email: [email protected]

Embassy of Argentina in the United Kingdom
65 Brook Street
London W1K 4AH
Phone: +44 (0) 207-3181300
[email protected]

Argentinean Embassies in Other Countries
https://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/Argentina/Argentina1.html

Previous LifeSiteNews coverage:

Lawyer Offers to Adopt and Raise Baby Threatened with Death by Abortion
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09020303.html