Pro-life groups say “lack of choices” led Colombian girl to obtain abortion

Bogotá, Colombia, Aug 29, 2006 / 22:00 pm

The pro-life organization Red Futuro Colombia (RFC) has denounced various institutions and the media in that country for pressuring an 11 year-old girl into having an abortion and depriving her of alternative choices.

“We reiterate our rejection of this atrocious act of which the child was a victim, as well as the actions of third parties that used these circumstances to present abortion as the only solution to the sad and painful reality of rape, a reprehensible act that affects many women,” the group said in a statement.

The girl, who was raped by her stepfather, was administered an abortion last Thursday, becoming the first person to receive a legal abortion in Colombia, after the country’s high court partially legalized the procedure last May over the objections of the Church, which called for the protection of both the girl and her baby.

RFC also said that although the first abortion in the country has taken place, the ruling by the court has left many unresolved questions.

“Which abortion procedures pose the least risk to the life and health of pregnant women? How should informed consent be obtained from both adult and underage women?  What are the requirements for allowing doctors and health care professionals to exercise their right to conscientious objection?  What are the mechanisms for allowing movements that defend human life to present alternatives to abortion in concrete cases?” the group asked.

In its statement RFC reiterated its own commitment to “promoting alternatives of solidarity that seek the protection of life and the dignity of every human being at all times.”