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BRISBANE, Australia, April 27, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – An Australian judge has ruled that a 12-year-old girl can have an abortion.

The Queensland court directed the abortion could be done using the RU-486 abortion drug by April 23, or, if that failed, through surgery by Tuesday. Justice Duncan McMeekin found the girl was mature enough to give informed consent to the abortion and in her best interests. “It is necessary to do so in order to avoid danger to her mental and physical health,” he stated. She was nine-weeks pregnant.

Teresa Martin, director of Cherish Life Queensland, called the situation “a tragedy.”

The girl, called “Q” in court documents, had run away, cut herself and attempted suicide before discovering her pregnancy. “This girl has already shown she has serious problems,” said Martin. “Is having an abortion going to help her mentally? She’s going to experience serious bleeding from the abortion pills, and nausea, and going to feel as if she is dying.”

The girl told the court through a sworn affidavit that she found the pregnancy “very stressful emotionally,” while her mother testified that, “There is a very real risk of self harm and or suicidal behaviour if her pregnancy was to continue.”

The parents also testified that they did not believe their 12-year-old daughter was capable of taking care of a child, which to Martin seems obvious. “But what about the parents raise their daughter’s child?” she asked. “What about putting the child up for adoption? It doesn’t sound like either option was considered.”