Puebla, Mexico where the Women's Hospital is treating a 10 year old girl and her premature baby boy.
A Mexican girl has become a mother at the young age of 10. She arrived at the hospital in Puebla, Mexico, 31 weeks pregnant and suffering from extreme health concerns, including seizures. After a necessary surgical birth, her son weighed in at 3.3 pounds. She was treated at the Women's Hospital in the city, which is located 60 miles from Mexico City.
Her tiny baby boy was in the NICU after suffering from life-threatening pneumonia, but his sweet momma visits him several times a day from her nearby home in the San Francisco Totimehuacan community to nurse him. She is recovering herself, and thanks to her milk, her son is now doing remarkably well for his tender condition.
Rogelio Gonzalez, director of the hospital, told UpFrontNewswire that the birth had been reported to the state's Attorney General's Office, and an investigation is taking place to find whether or not this young girl was raped, and who the father of this baby is.
Legal age of sexual consent in Mexico is 12 years, and it is illegal to terminate a pregnancy unless a girl is able to prove she was the victim of sexual assault.
This is far from the first time a child has given birth here. Last August, 11 year old Amalia birthed her baby two weeks early after being repeatedly raped by her stepfather over the course of two years. Amalia's mother was emotionally crushed when she discovered her daughter was pregnant, and reported to local aid workers what she then discovered was the truth of her daughter's situation.
In the spring of 2010, another 10 year old girl from Quintana Roo made headlines when the rapist in her case was arrested, and she, too, elected to keep her baby.
In 1999, 13 year old sexual assault survivor, Paulina Ramirez, birthed her baby in the state of Baja California and became well known in the news after she brought her case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 2002 when she turned 16.
Laws vary from state to state in Mexico, but the sexual assault of young girls is problematic, and few have a good place to turn for support or an escape from the situation. Those that end up in the news are often girls who face some type of pregnancy complication, or become high profile due to their extremely young age and a mother of their own who is willing to report the assault on her behalf. According to PBS reports, Mexico also continues to serve as a transit country for human trafficking (especially of young girls and women) to one of the world's biggest markets - the United States.
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Prayers for this baby and mother for healing and for the chance of a loving life together.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see this part of the article: "an investigation is taking place to find whether or not this young girl was raped, and who the father of this baby is.
Legal age of sexual consent in Mexico is 12 years, and it is illegal to terminate a pregnancy unless a girl is able to prove she was the victim of sexual assault."
It is a shame that the Mexican government can even wonder whether a pregnant ten-year old was raped (I mean, unless she was somehow artificially inseminated, which I highly doubt, and which would also be assault). Of course, a 10 year old cannot possibly give consent. Do they expect her to fight back and yell "no" the whole time? And what a surprise to see the the legal age of consent is 12. At that age, a child is not capable of fighting back or making an informed decision about sex.
As horrible it is that these young, young women are being assaulted. . . and has hard as it is to be a very young mother. . . at least with pregnancy and birth the crimes of assault are being exposed. It's even more tragic in many ways, when the pregnancy is terminated and the abuse is covered up and continued.
ReplyDelete"...an investigation is taking place to find whether or not this young girl was raped..." WHAT? Of course she was raped! She was TEN YEARS OLD!!! I don't care what the circumstance was, she was raped. A ten year old can not consent. PERIOD!!! It is very sad, but I am so glad she is nursing the baby. See, if a 10 year old can do it, most anyone can!
ReplyDeleteI would echo the above. OF COURSE SHE WAS RAPED. No matter the circumstance. My daughter is nine. I can't wrap my mind around this.
ReplyDeleteThe quote in the original Spanish is: "Hoy la menor viene todos los días acompañada de su madre para darle de comer a su hijo cada cuatro horas y ella se recupera muy bien de su intervención", afirmó el médico.
ReplyDeleteThis simply means she is coming to feed the baby every four hours. Whether she is breastfeeding or formula feeding is ambiguous.
This is all wrong. 12 is not the legal age here. I live in Mexico, and the age is 18, period. There are many cases of young girls raped and that their own mother dont do anything just to keep the "man". Its always in the news, these woman make me sick.
ReplyDeleteUntil prohabition, the legal sexual consent of women (er, girls) was 10 years old, in the U.S. When prohabition laws were passed, so was a new legal consent age of 12, in the U.S. I don't know when it went higher, but I learned this watching a recent documentary on PBS about prohabition. From 10 to 12 in the 1920's, in the U.S. This is mind blowing. Of course this girl was raped, she has no (or should have, but now through experience..) no real concept of what a sexually intimate relationship is and what the physical or emotional consequesces are of engaging in such activities brings. I really hope she gets the help and support she needs. I can't imagine being a child and trying to raise a baby.
ReplyDeletewow, i feel so bad for her i mean come on! but (i know everyone said this) SHE WAS DEFINETLY RAPED DUH! What kinda director of the hospital is he???
ReplyDeleteHow is she supposed to take care of that baby at 10 years old. I have a 5, 12, & 15 yr old children and never have I felt that my oldest child could by ANY means take care of my youngest child regardless of the 10&1/2 yr difference. I guess now unless she's able to move to the U.S. Where we give everybody health insurance and food stamps she's in for quite struggle. Her child needs proper medical care and I'm sure she needs some type of counseling even if its just parenting classes. Or something to help her cope with all she's been through and going to go through.
ReplyDeleteA 10 year old should not be having a baby or breast feeding period! There is nothing acceptable about it. Would it not be ok if she was formula feeding?
ReplyDelete