San Juan, Puerto Rico, Oct 11, 2006 / 22:00 pm
The grandmother of a 10 year-old girl who became pregnant after she was raped by her stepfather has filed for custody of the girl and her unborn baby, saying that “life is from God” and that she does not agree that the Department of the Family - which currently has custody of her - should force her to have an abortion.
The case has revived the debate over abortion in Puerto Rico, in which pro-abortion forces are arguing it is more risky for the girl to bring the child to term than to have an abortion.
The Catholic Church and pro-life groups have responded saying that abortion would be “the imposition of the death penalty against an innocent child.”
The attorney in charge of the case said it has not yet been decided if the girl will be forced to undergo an abortion.