Peruvian Court Authorized Abortion for 10-Year-Old Girl

On Thursday, the First Mixed Court of Echarati authorized the Antonio Lorena Hospital in Cuzco to perform an abortion on a 10-year-old girl who was a victim of sexual assault.

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The judicial authority stated that the therapeutic termination of the pregnancy should be carried out in accordance with the "National Technical Guide for the Standardization of the Comprehensive Care Procedure for Pregnant Women in Voluntary Termination for Therapeutic Indication of Pregnancy Under 22 Weeks."

The girl is 20 weeks pregnant, and a medical panel recommended that she undergo a therapeutic abortion. However, it was discovered that the minor did not have parents who could authorize the procedure.

Previously, at the end of September, a 13-year-old minor died due to placental retention and internal bleeding when she was eight months pregnant.

Save the Children Peru deeply mourned the death of the girl, who passed away during childbirth as a result of forced child pregnancy following sexual assault.

"Tragic events like this sadden us, and they can be prevented through policies that eliminate sexual violence against girls and adolescents, while ensuring the legal termination of these high-risk pregnancies that can thwart their life plans," the NGO said.

They emphasized that therapeutic abortion in Peru has been decriminalized since 1924. However, "in the case of the girl from Junin, as in many others, the procedure has not been implemented, leaving her unprotected and exposed to risks that led to her death."