Horror in Nicaragua

A nine years old girl was sexually abused. She is now pregnant but the National Justice and the Catholic Church reject an abortion requirement. Her life is in danger.

Rosa Fletes was only nine years old when her parents decided to temporally emigrate to Costa Rica to work in the coffee harvest. They are very poor and may never read any single word on what the world has written about them, as the three are illiterate.

Three months ago Alex Barquero, 25, violated Rosa, transmitting her two venereal diseases. She became pregnant and is now trying to survive in the middle of a cultural but absurd scandal within her country. The Government and the justice, pressed by the hegemonic Catholic Church, denied Rosa's family the right to abortion.

Obviously, she is too young to deliver a baby and now, she faces a process of natural abortion under a serious clinical situation. "She is in a worrying health condition", said to the German press agency DPA, Mr. Sergio Garcнa Quintero, lawyer of Rosa's relatives.

The Catholic Church of Managua had issued a statement warning country's physicians that any abortion practice will be considered a "criminal act". Meanwhile, the girl is dying. Rosa's parents, Francisco and Maria, issued a letter to President Bolaсos, signed with their fingerprints, to allow her to abort.

Despite the urgency, the National Minister of health answered the letter through a statement in which they assure that the Government is "studying the case". However, Nicaraguan Human Rights organizations denounced that the National Government ordered to close the doors of the public hospitals to Rosa to prevent any abortion practice.

"There is an order issued by the Minister of Health (Lucia Calvo) that prohibits the presence of the girl in any public hospital. We asked for the immediate suspension of this order, as Rosa's parents want their child to be tried in the country", said Luisa Molina, director of a children-care institute.

If this is true, then the National Government of Nicaragua and the Catholic Church would be responsible for the death of a nine years old girl. So, the deputy Minister of Health of Nicaragua, Margarita Guardian, said to the local newspaper La Prensa, that if parents will is to abort, then health units have to complied with the decision.

It is a proven fact that the reactionary and conservative Catholic Church is against abortion practice, no matter particular cases. The last Episcopal Conference held in Spain stated that abortion was "the absolute evil to fight". Following these rule, the Archbishop of Managua, Obando y Bravo, refused the idea of abortion practice and suggested to name three anti-abortion physicians to evaluate the case in order to save "the girl and the baby".

Hospitals and organizations from several countries, including Spain, USA, Cuba, Italy and Argentina offered help to the family. Even when in some of them abortion is illegal, they offered their premises to let Rosa abort and save her life.

Hernan Etchaleco PRAVDA.Ru Argentina