8 Years Old and Pregnant

[MikeyV]

I stumbled across this disturbing news story on Friday.

Summary: An 8 year old Brazilian girl complains of stomach pain. The girl's mother takes her to urgent care. An ultrasound reveals that she is pregnant, with twins! The mother's and doctor's questioning result in the girl implicating her step father in repeated molestation from the age of 6. She also alleges that her step father has been molesting her 14 year old developmentally handicapped sister. The step father is arrested.

The doctors and the mother conclude (rightly so, in my opinion) that the best course of action would be to terminate the pregnancy. Brazilian law forbids abortion unless the pregnancy is the result of rape or poses significant health risk to the mother. Of course, the 80 pound 8 year old falls into both categories.

The abortion is performed. The Brazilian Arch Bishop says the mother, the nurses, and doctors involved will be excommunicated.

The child will not be excommunicated on the grounds that she was too young to have a say in the matter. Ironically, the step father won't be excommunicated either.

I was lurking a Catholic forum that posted the story. For the most part, the posters agreed that although they don't generally agree with abortion, this was an exceptional case, and the abortion was necessary.  However, there were a few that agreed with the Arch Bishop, and one outrageous post by a woman who basically said "Pregnancy is not that hard. I've had 5 kids, and I'm fine." not taking into account that she'd never had a multiple birth, much less started having children when she was 8. There were a few others that discounted the story entirely because "it's impossible for an 8 year old to ovulate, therefore, she wasn't pregnant".

I was also on Pharyngula (PZ Myers' blog) where I learned of the story. Most memorable quote - "Excommunication is a reward for Doing The Right Thingâ,,¢."

Original BBC story here

The whole story made me very sad, but I've come to expect this sort of inhumanity from the Catholic Church. Before someone accuses me of painting all Catholics with a broad brush, remember, the RCC is a monolithic organization. You support your small country parish, which supports the RCC, which supports the Brazilian Arch Bishop. They are one and the same.

Edit: I can't believe I misspelled PZ Myers

[Twiddler]

Wow, I saw that story on their webpage for a few days but never really looked into it.  Pretty sad story from many angles.

[Squid]

There were a few others that discounted the story entirely because "it's impossible for an 8 year old to ovulate, therefore, she wasn't pregnant"

People are stupid...the youngest pregnancy was a girl that was five...it is possible...very rare but possible.

[Kylyssa]

I saw the story a few days ago and it horrified me.  Beyond the fact that the little girl would have been psychologically further victimized by the trauma of carrying a pregnancy and the pain or childbirth (a c-section isn't all puppies and roses, folks) her developing pelvis would probably have been horribly damaged as the fetuses grew inside her.  Even a grown woman's pelvis is altered by pregnancy.  Scarring caused by c-sections can cause all sorts of problems such as adhesions and also increase the risks associated with future pregnancies - in adult women.  In a child, one can only imagine what a pregnancy would do to her tiny body.

This kind of thing makes me furious.  How can anyone value an undeveloped embryo over a precious, living, breathing, hurting child?

I had talked about this with my Catholic roommate - she was horrified, too, that anyone had questioned the decision to terminate the pregnancy.

[curiosityandthecat]

So wrong.

Wrong on levels.

[Ninteen45]

(Edited because I read the story fully, and not the title.)

Ouch, that must be upsetting. That archbishop is an utter imbecile.

[VanReal]

Sadly this does not surprise me in the least.  Some members of the catholic church are completely unwilling to bend their beliefs regardless of the pending doom actions in conflict of those beliefs are causing.  I mean they seriously operate in Africa in areas ravished by AIDS and tell them not to use condoms, and would have women die before voluntarily having an abortion (or hysterectomy)  regardless of the health impact on the mother/woman.  I suppose the molesting father can repent/confess and do his penance therefore being absolved for his actions but the persons involved in the abortion can't? Hmmm, typical.

[MariaEvri]

my friends told me about this story, they saw it on the news. Even though they are both Christians, they agree with the abortion. As for me, I couldn't except anything better from the church

[SSY]

Despicable.

Whoever said "For a good man to do evil things, it takes religion" was bang on

P.S. A cookie for whoever can remind me who said it and the full quote, Danke!

[MariaEvri]

Despicable.

Whoever said "For a good man to do evil things, it takes religion" was bang on

P.S. A cookie for whoever can remind me who said it and the full quote, Danke!

With or without religion, you’d have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. It takes religion for good people to do evil things â€" Steven Weinberg

Maria wants her cookie now

[SSY]

I don't beleive in a god, and hence, dont beleive in an afterlife. So becuase my actions won't be judged, I am perfectly justified in being an asshole to you, and I won't get my punishment, ever.

[Sophus]

People are stupid....

Quoted for truth.

For the most part, the posters agreed that although they don't generally agree with abortion, this was an exceptional case, and the abortion was necessary.

Nice to see that common sense prevails in the religious sometimes.

[Chimera]

It's things like this that keep me awake at night, ranting to myself about the stupidity of religion and humankind.

[Nulono]

Two minds will never ponder
Four hands will never play
Two kids will never smell a rose
Or see the light of day.

Two precious lives were snuffed out short
And I sometimes wonder why
They can hear of such atrocities
And expect us not to cry.

[Sophus]

Two minds will never ponder
Four hands will never play
Two kids will never smell a rose
Or see the light of day.

Two precious lives were snuffed out short
And I sometimes wonder why
They can hear of such atrocities
And expect us not to cry.

It's a fetus for god's sake. It-is-a-fetus.

Tell me, is a miscarriage the death of a child?