Special thanks to Robert for helping me find this.
On 4 March 2009, a nine-year-old girl from the city of Recife, Brazil, had to undergo an abortion. She was a victim of rape, the alleged perpetrator her stepfather. This had been going on for quite sometime (Police say since she was six), and culminated in her pregnancy. She was carrying twins. Her pregnancy was discovered after she came to the hospital with stomach pains. Some reports said she was four months pregnant.
Brazilian law states that abortion is allowed only when the mother’s life is at risk, and in cases of rape. According to Olimpio Moraes, one of her doctors, her case met both of the criteria. After an aborted [Sorry!] attempt to stop the procedure, a Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, the archbishop of Olinda and Recife, decided that this was a perfectly suitable way for a nine year old to get pregnant (let alone the appropriateness of a nine year old being pregnant), and called for the excommunication of her mother, her doctors, and any others who played a part in this incident. He did not excommunicate the girl because of her age. (He later said he was just following the teaching of the Church. He didn't say if he was personally in agreement with those tenets.)
He also did not excommunicate her stepfather, who attempted escape to another area of Brazil, but was caught and jailed. He is also suspected of abusing the girl 14-year-old sister. Oh yeah, she’s physically handicapped!
[Kay, I just need to interject real quickly: I can’t even describe what kind of an ASSHOLE the stepfather is. There’s a special place in hell for you, buddy. Enjoy it.]
On the 5 March, Brazialian President and self-identified Catholic President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva openly disagreed with the Church’s ruling. He told the Agence France Presse (AFP),
As a Christian and a Catholic I deeply regret that a bishop of the Catholic Church has such a conservative attitude. The doctors did what had to be done: save the life of a girl nine years old. In this case, the medical profession was more right than the Church.
Oh snap, son! Its about to get crazy!
On 6 March 2009, the Vatican announced its full support of Archbishop Sobrinho. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church's Congregation for Bishops and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, said the following to La Stampa, and Italian newspaper:
It is a sad case but the real problem is that the twins conceived were two innocent persons, who had the right to live and could not be eliminated. Life must always be protected, the attack on the Brazilian Church is unjustified.
Um, with respect, Cardinal Re, what about the nine year old girl’s life?!? Doctors said that her uterus wasn’t big enough to carry ONE child, let alone two! Would you have been so ready to speak out if she had died? Something tells me no, you would have pretended nothing happened, while her family mourns.
Oh, you want my sympathy because people have rallied against the Church? Nope, not going to happen.
Also, why have you ignored her stepfather? In my mind, running away = admission of guilt. Granted, he is only accused at this time, but should he be found guilty, will you be so quick to excommunicate him? Oh that's right, I forgot, you guys are okay with that kind of stuff. Yeah, that was a low blow. I'm sorry.
What say you?
Photo credit: www.tldm.org
Map credit: www.robstacy.info
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