A 13-year-old girl who got pregnant after being raped is
unable to receive an abortion after all Cartagena doctors refuse the
treatment on moral grounds.
The abortion was set Tuesday for 11AM. but the only doctor who previously agreed to operate on the girl backed out in the last minute citing moral objections, newspaper El Tiempo reported Wednesday.
The case of the girl, who was raped by her 24-year old cousin, was made public by Doctors without Borders and generated mixed reactions in the Bolivar department.
While many people agree to end the two-months pregnancy, the Catholic Church asked the family to rethink their decision. “It is a life that is going to be ended and only God knows what the future holds”, a spokesman of the Archdiocese of Cartagena said.
The directors of the Rafael Calvo Maternity Clinic of Cartagena met on Tuesday afternoon to seek a solution on this case but failed to find a conclusion.
Abortion in Colombia is only allowed in specific cases like rape. It was considered a punishable crime under all circumstances until May 2006.