A 10-Year-Old Girl Struggled to Get An Abortion In Brazil

Over the past few years, the hashtag #NiñasNoMadres has been a presence on Twitter worldwide. Literally translated as “Girls Not Mothers,” the hashtag denounces cases of Latin American pre-teens who are denied abortions for pregnancies that resulted from rape. Abortion laws are notoriously restrictive in Latin America — especially in Nicaragua, where abortion is completely prohibited, and Paraguay, where abortion is allowed only to save a person’s life — even in such instances when the pregnant person is a child. This was the case earlier this month, when a 10-year-old from the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo was almost denied an abortion.

In early August, this 10-year-old (who has remained anonymous) was feeling unwell and taken to a hospital. There, doctors discovered that she was three months pregnant. She said that her uncle had been sexually assaulting her since she was 6, and threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone.

Unfortunately, this case is not an anomaly in the country. According to the Ministry of Health, in 2018 more than 21,000 girls below the age of 15 got pregnant in Brazil — all these cases are considered statutory rape in the country, as the age of consent is 14. Every hour, four girls under 13 are raped in Brazil. In the state of Espírito Santo, only in the first six months of 2020, 157 pre-teens got pregnant after being raped.

In Brazil, abortion is legally allowed in cases of rape (as well as when a pregnant person’s life is in danger or if the fetus has anencephaly), but the procedure is punishable by up to three years in prison if done for any other reason. Yet just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s accessible; half of the states in Brazil don’t have such services. The logistical problems of obtaining an abortion were made even more complicated for this child by the pandemic.

In response to this news, which broke last Wednesday, some anti-abortion groups tried to spread a fake declaration on WhatsApp that the girl had already given birth and that both she and the baby were well. Comments also began to pop up on social media, claiming about the 10 girl that “if her body wasn’t ready for a pregnancy she wouldn’t have gotten pregnant” and even comparing the girl to a dog during heat, among other awful things.

Damares Alves, the Brazilian minister of human rights, family, and women — and also the treasurer of an organization called Brazil Without Abortion — declared in response to the situation that she’d do everything she could to catch and punish the girl’s rapist, who has been missing since the pregnancy was discovered, as a form of justice, rather than condone abortion.

The day after Alves’ statement, the organization Sangra Coletiva organized a campaign with the hashtag #GravidezAos10Mata (which means “Pregnancy at 10 Kills”). This campaign is based on facts: According to the World Health Organization, girls who give birth between 10 and 14 have the highest risks of complications, including eclampsia, premature delivery, and gestational diabetes, because the pelvic floors of girls at that age haven’t developed enough for a vaginal delivery, and C-sections can easily lead to hemorrhagic episodes. In fact, those girls are four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues than women between 20 and 35.

Sangra Coletiva also created a petition to guarantee the girl’s legal right to an abortion and, within 24 hours, got 400,000 signatures.

This mobilization paid off: This past Saturday, a judge ruled that the girl should have access to the legal abortion. But despite this ruling, the doctors at a hospital in the girl’s state refused to perform the procedure, claiming she was already 22 weeks pregnant, even though this contradicted what was previously reported, and ignored that there is no gestational limit when a pregnant person’s life is at risk. The girl had to travel more than 900 miles to obtain the procedure.

When the girl arrived at the hospital, a new threat emerged: Anti-abortion groups and politicians had obtained access to classified information about her destination from a far-right extremist and organized a protest in front of the hospital. Some prayed to “save both lives,” and many called the girl and the doctors “murderers.” A few tried to invade the hospital, but were stopped by feminist activists who also came to support the girl. Meanwhile, another antiabortion group, declared to be linked to Minister Damares, threatened the girl’s grandmother in her own house.

On Sunday, August 16, the girl was finally able to terminate her pregnancy. The medical team who did the procedure had to be escorted from the hospital by the police.

Attacks like this are constant in Latin America, and will keep happening. But this case showed us that mobilization — both online and by feminist groups in person — is fundamental in our fight.