Pregnant children are guaranteed abortion by the SUS, says expert

Lawyer Ariel Castro Alves, from the Institute for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (Indica) declared, this Tuesday (21), in an interview with CNN that pregnant children are guaranteed abortion by the Unified Health System (SUS).

“Two years ago we had a similar case in Espírito Santo with a 10-year-old girl who had suffered sexual violence and rape and was over the 20th week of pregnancy and the hospital refused to have a legal abortion, because her life was at risk beyond the rape. She appealed to justice, through her representatives and the public prosecutor’s office, but there were several protests, in front of the hospital, actions, fundamentalists disseminating information about this girl”, said Castro Alves.

“So it’s not the first time that we’ve had the right to children violated in situations like this and we hope that these cases won’t happen again. Daily, we have information from the Unified Health System of six children who have a legally prescribed abortion per day. Every day in Brazil 107 children and adolescents are victims of rape,” he continued.

The Justice of Santa Catarina investigates the performance of judge Joana Ribeiro Zimmer, who prevented an 11-year-old child, pregnant and rape victim, from having an abortion.

The case was revealed in a report published by journalists Paula Guimarães, Bruna de Lara and Tatiana Dias, from Portal Catarinas and Intercept Brasil.

In the representation, the seven members of the CNJ treat the hearing conducted by the judge as “scabrous” and the stage of institutional violence against the girl.

Risks for child to continue with pregnancy are greater, according to doctor

According to gynecologist and obstetrician Albertina Duarte Takiuti, the child is at risk of acquiring several symptoms when continuing with the pregnancy.

“She will be at risk of anemia, high blood pressure, diabetes, eclampsia, urinary tract infection, malformation of the baby due to age, risk of dying, because there is a high rate of maternal death with girls aged 10 to 14 years, which is higher than women with over 40 years. We will be at risk for the baby to be born premature and low weight and die after birth”, explains Takiuti.

“And the psychological issue of this girl is exposed, oppressed, violated. She received a rape that is not being investigated. The rapist is not showing up, who is the father of this child? Nobody knows. But she is being condemned, she is having a social rape again and society is raping her again.”