By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman
GUARATINGA, Brazil, March 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Although a 13 year old Brazilian girl has told government authorities that she does not want to have an abortion, she may be forced to have one anyway, according to the prosecutor in her case.
The girl, who is five months pregnant, was allegedly raped by her father, who has been arrested. Her mother is deceased. The media has not publicized her name.
When interviewed by a prosecutor in the state of Bahia on Monday of this week, the child reportedly stated that she does not wish to have an abortion. The case worker from the local child protective services assigned to the child is also opposed to an abortion, stating that “the greatest right of the child is the right to life.”
However, the prosecutor in the case, Bruno Teixeira, has decided to send the girl over a thousand kilometers away to the Institute of Perinatology of Bahia, where she will be examined by staff. He has stated that if they determine that a risk exists to her health, she will be forced to have an abortion.
The head of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops (CNBB), Geraldo Majella, commented on the case last Friday in a homily, noting that “science has evolved a great deal, but one must not consider an easy solution like abortion”. He said that the development of the fetus should be monitored closely.
Although the vast majority of Brazilians oppose abortion, the presidential administration of Luiz Lula da Silva is strongly in favor of abortions under the terms of existing law, which do not penalize the procedure in cases of rape or danger to the life of the mother.
As LifeSiteNews reported recently, very young children are capable bringing a child to term, especially with cesarean section. Tens of thousands of such cases have been recorded in Brazil, and there are few if any reported cases of death in such pregnancies. However, advocates of abortion in such cases often claim that pregnancy at an early age is a life threatening condition, even if the child is in perfect health.
Contact Information:
Embassy of Brazil in the USA
3006 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
20008-3634
Phone: (202) 238-2700
Fax: (202) 238-2827
Email: [email protected]
Embassy of Brazil in Canada
450 Wilbrod Street
Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6M8
Phone: (613) 237-1090 or (613) 755-5160
Fax: (613) 237-6144
E-mail: [email protected]
Embassies of Brazil to other Nations: https://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/Brazil/Brazil1.html
Related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Neonatologist Says Brazilian Nine-Year-Old Could Have Safely Brought Child to Term
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09031707.html
Archbishop Announces Excommunication of Doctor and Family Members for Abortion on Nine-Year-Old Girl
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09030601.html
Vatican Backs Bishop Who Excommunicated Doctor and Family Involved in Abortion
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09030903.html