Can't believe controversy over abortion for 9 year old rape victim

I absolutely can't believe what I'm reading. I'm stunned.

First of all, I am not "pro-abortion," I don't think many people are. I think what they are is "pro-choice as to whether you can have one or not," and that's completely different. I wish we lived in a world where abortion didn't exist and wasn't needed. But there are sometimes when you just have to let go of your own beliefs and have compassion for someone. I also am Catholic, although I do disagree with some of their teachings and doctrine. I am not anti-Catholic by any stretch of the imagination (just thought I'd put that out there lest someone accuse me of that after reading this post).

Child pregnant after rape

In Brazil, a 9-year-old girl was allegedly repeatedly raped by her step father since she was six years old, police believe. She ended up getting pregnant with not one baby, but two. A 9-year-old girl, 80 lbs, was pregnant with twins.

No-one knew she was pregnant until she started complaining of severe stomach pains. That's when it was discovered that she was already four months pregnant. The problem was though, that at her size, her uterus isn't big enough to hold one baby, let alone two. So, what would happen? Likely, she would have died, along with the babies.

Abortion performed

The decision was made to abort the babies, something that is illegal in Brazil unless a judge says it's ok. What is shocking is that the judges may ok abortion if the pregnancy is due to a rape or there are medical complications that would put the mother's life at risk. Here, in this case, we have both. And yet, the Church has excommunicated the doctors who performed the abortion and the mother of the child. The rapist? Oh, he's allowed to go to church. He's still in their good graces.

Should I repeat that? The stepfather is in jail, but he wasn't excommunicated. Oh, and by the way, according to this article, the stepfather is also suspected of sexually abusing the girl's handicapped 14-year-old sister. The girl wasn't excommunicated because you can't excommunicate a child.

The doctors

Thankfully, the doctors are being treated like heroes by many. I say thankfully, because if they were scorned, I'd be afraid they'd not make such a decision again. But what is disgusting me is not just the Church's reaction, but that of every day people.

The reaction

I read a woman's forum when I have time. There is one poster who spouts off Catholic teachings in such a black and white manner that she can't see that sometimes, there is no room for discussion or anything. She wrote that the girl should have carried the pregnancy to term and, if necessary, deliver the babies early, around 5 months, because she'd heard that babies that young can survive.

Excuse me? Yes, babies born at 5 months may survive, but when a set of twins is delivered that young, from a 9-year-old no less, that's hardly the ideal circumstances.

My heart aches for this girl. I wonder if she even knew she was pregnant.

This isn't a moral issue folks. It's a medical issue. The girl would likely have died. The twins would likely have died. At least with the abortion, one survived.