Blood of the innocents
And people wonder why I am so hard on the Church?
A Brazilian archbishop says all those who helped a child rape victim secure an abortion are to 
be excommunicated from the Catholic Church.
The girl, aged nine, who lives in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco, became pregnant with twins.
It is alleged that she had been sexually assaulted over a number of years by her stepfather.
The excommunication applies to the child's mother and the doctors involved in the procedure.
The pregnancy was terminated on Wednesday.
Abortion is only permitted in Brazil in cases of rape and where the mother's life is at risk and doctors say the girl's case met both these conditions.
<SNIP>
The Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, told Brazil's TV Globo that the law of God was above any human law.
He said the excommunication would not apply to the child because of her age, but would affect all those who ensured the abortion was carried out.
However, doctors at the hospital said they had to take account of the welfare of the girl, and that she was so small that her uterus did not have the ability to contain one child let alone two.
The girl, aged nine, who lives in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco, became pregnant with twins.
It is alleged that she had been sexually assaulted over a number of years by her stepfather.
The excommunication applies to the child's mother and the doctors involved in the procedure.
The pregnancy was terminated on Wednesday.
Abortion is only permitted in Brazil in cases of rape and where the mother's life is at risk and doctors say the girl's case met both these conditions.
<SNIP>
The Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, told Brazil's TV Globo that the law of God was above any human law.
He said the excommunication would not apply to the child because of her age, but would affect all those who ensured the abortion was carried out.
However, doctors at the hospital said they had to take account of the welfare of the girl, and that she was so small that her uterus did not have the ability to contain one child let alone two.
Ah yes, but twins? No wonder the Church intervened. That's more soldiers for God versus one dead child mother.
THE MAN UPSTAIRS DATE: Here is what the Archbishop actually said:
"The law of God is higher than any human laws," he said. "When a human law — that is, a law enacted by human legislators — is against the law of God, that law has no value. The adults who approved, who carried out this abortion have incurred excommunication."
If His Archbishopness had anything to say about the perpetrator of this unspeakable crime against this child, nobody quoted it.
UPPITY WOMEN DATE: Just saw these posts by Dammit Janet, April Reign and JJ.
Supposedly celibate priests have no business trying to write the rules of procreation for everybody else.
They neither know, nor bear the consequences.
... as for the girl's stepfather, I can think of several fitting fates for him ...
Posted by: Michelle | March 05, 2009 at 09:11 PM
That story makes me want to cry. I hope all the people being “excommunicated” by the church tell them where to shove it.
As the article pointed out, it would be really dangerous for a nine-year-old body to carry not only one but two babies. That’s true, but like so many abortion related discussions, still seems to focus on this girls (not even a woman in this case!) body as an incubator, instead of this girl as a person with a life ahead of her. What about the potential trauma, fear, and shame of going through a pregnancy at that young age? Of giving birth, and becoming a mother at nine years old! Had she been forced to continue the pregnany, likely witnessing these babies suffer with medical difficulties, or even dying since they would probably be pre-term and high-risk. Most of the likely scenarios would have been terrible. This girl has already experienced the trauma of being sexually abused. I can only think that not ending this pregnancy ASAP would have psychologically destroyed such a young girl.
How can it be that pro-lifers (the Catholic Church specifically here) can place such high value on the “lives” of those foetuses, but can show no regard for the LIFE of an already living, breathing 9 year old. I can only figure they love embryos more than people because they haven’t sinned yet or something. What a mess.
Posted by: christine nectarine | March 06, 2009 at 01:06 PM
ahhhh... what can we say about it? What did the girl want? That's my question. She's the one who can decide if she wants to carry the children to term or not. It's horrible to be sexually abused, and also, so many people who have abortions find that the trauma of knowing you've caused the lack of life of your potential baby is just as traumatic and lasts just as long. The church can pontificate as it likes, but my question is, Was it the girl's preference to abort the babies? Was it trauma upon trauma, or freedom for her? Maybe it was the best thing for her little body and young, traumatised spirit. Maybe it wasn't.
A friend of mine had an abortion when she was 15 and finally, at age 21, I lent her a book of meditations helping to let go of the little child who would have been hers. Then she found peace. She also died the following year, so maybe she met her baby.
My other friend was raped in a park. She got pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful little girl. Having this child was her way of valuing the life that the rapist did not value, bringing something beautiful into the world out of her pain, and not being defeated by that rapist's cruelty.
It is not at all cut and dried.
Sincerely, Rachel in Canada
Posted by: Rachel MacDonald | March 09, 2009 at 04:31 PM
Ah thanks Rachel but do you honestly think that a 9 year old child who has been traumatized by sexual abuse, by rape, by a forced pregnancy and the emotional and physical health risks inherent in such a pregnancy, is in any position to make such a decision for herself? A 9 year old child whose body is not prepared for one fetus, let alone two??
Posted by: Antonia | March 09, 2009 at 07:37 PM
"A 9 year old child whose body is not prepared for one fetus, let alone two??"
That one does seem to say it all this time - almost like an ectopic pregnancy writ large
Posted by: The Stygian and his Shemitish Dogs | March 09, 2009 at 09:23 PM