AIBU in thinking that anyone who had ever actually given birth would never let an 11 year old make the decision to give birth?

[MyHumpsMyLovelyBabyBumps]

And that if an 11 year old can't make the decision to have consensual sex she can't possibly understand the complexities of pregnancy and labor? Especially as doctors have said it could kill her?

If you haven't heard of this it's one of the most upsetting stories I have ever read in a long while.

latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2013/07/10/chile-president-praises-pregnant-11-year-old-maturity-for-keeping-baby/

I will never agree to forced abortions

I don't believe there are grounds to presume this is a case of desired to term preganancy v forced abortion. I don't think there is any reason to conclude she had been councelled or adviced with her psycological or medical best interests at the heart of the matter.

It is hard enough as a fully grown women, pregnant as the result of consensual sex to push for abortion in the face of social sanction and high level officals breathing down your neck telling you what the "mature" and "right" thing is to do.

What price a level playing field for an 11 yo victim of rape with maternal betrayal having colluded in that repeated rape, with a gov "taking a personal interest" specifically in circumstances where they do not want a high profile case like this to place pressure on them to take a less hardline stance on legal abortion ?

"understanding that fetus is not a baby"

What nonsense! While the medical word for an unborn baby is a fetus, do you have any attachment to the baby currently in your womb or is it just a fetus? Do you scold women who have had stillbirths or miscarriages? We didn't lose a baby, it was just a fetus?!

It sounds like a terrible case but I still don't see a case for forced abortion. Hopefully she will be very cared for in terms of her antenatal care, and I would presume they would do a section, but there is going to have to be a completely different family set up for both children here.

Am I wrong in assuming an 11 year old would be extremely high risk for a preterm baby? Does that mean months tied down to a hospital bed getting steroid injections?

I have a bundle of cells in my belly dino, I'm sorry if you can't comprehend that. This is what my "baby" looks like
www.wpclinic.org/image/photos/07weeks396x382.jpg

This is what the childs "baby" looks like.
www.health.state.ga.us/wrtk/images/n14weeks.jpg

She is a baby it is only her life I give a fuck about. And I have had a miscarriage thank you, you mourn the loss of a wanted pregnancy because of it's potential. You don't disregard science.

Do you know what an 11 year old looks like?

If you don't know the difference between a still born baby and a 14 week old fetus you really should find out before being quite so offensive.

It sounds like a terrible case but I still don't see a case for forced abortion

Forced abortion isn't on the cards. Becuase abortion is on the legal cards there. What you are most likely looking at is a child being coerced into stating or believing carrying to term is in her best interests. The coersion being motviated by a desire to avoid this case creating a public outcry resulting in a gen. pub. calling for a legal changes to allow for abortion in these circs. Which is a potential issue for the gov there if this girl were to pulically state that she'd abort if given the chance to.

She was used and abused by her mother's boyfried, betrayed bynher mother, and now most likely being coerced rather than honestly and openly councelled, becuase the alternative is that she risks becoming a political hot potato for the anti-abortion leaning segments of the authorities.

However forced conception followed by coersion/forced to carry to term even in a very young girl, doesn't seem to create the same reactions in people as forced abortion does.

OP, you obviously weren't really asking "AIBU?" because despite most posters disagreeing with you that a forced abortion should take place, you aren't really accepting the majority viewpoint here! Of course it's horrible what the poor kid has been through, and yes, having a baby will be difficult, but sadly she's far from the first eleven year old to be pregnant, and there's a large amount of medical information available to her doctors to make the best decisions for her care.

YABU.

That poor girl I was a teen mother and years older than her and wasn't ready- and being young, it meant it was a dangerous pregnancy for me anyway. For an 11 year old....

DD2 is 13 and the idea of her being pregnant is horrifying. 11 is so young, her life has been destroyed by the rape from 9 and her mother isn't even doing anything and then having to suffer a pregnancy (yes, suffer) and have very high chances of health problems for her and the potential/future baby.

OP, you obviously weren't really asking "AIBU?" because despite most posters disagreeing with you that a forced abortion should take place, you aren't really accepting the majority viewpoint here!

I'm not seeing the majority call me unreasonable. You have, I suppose that counts though.

oh gosh. how horribly muddy the issues are here. That poor girl - not only being the victim of repeated abuse (horrid enough) and then to have her own mother defend the abuser. I cannot begin to imagine the pain in all of this and I would completely understand the desire to be rid of the baby in this circumstance.

However what has not been discussed here is the attitude and outlook of the catholic church (and others with a pro life agenda) that human life begins at conception - not birth or viability. Therefore abortion is viewed as murder. The argument (and be aware I am incredibly conflicted on this in just this scenario) is that it is not right to punish one human being for the mistakes (or crimes) of another. Aborting the baby would be to do this - the view is that it is not the baby's fault - so why punish it? (please note it is not the mistake of the girl either, she is a victim in all of this and not wanting her to be punished for the crime makes me very conflicted) Many choose to view a baby conceived in this circumstance as a silver lining to the cloud and choose to think of it as a positive outcome (I guess if you chose to bring the baby to term you would have to otherwise how would you look at the child?). I sincerely hope that this is how she is seeing it and not being forced into this train of thought. I sincerely hope she is being taken care of by people who have her best interests at heart and not still with her mother. And I sincerely hope that anyone else in this situation out there has the non-judgemental support to make the decision that is best for them - whatever that may be. Our right to determine what happens to our bodies as women should be fought for and protected!

If my 11 year old got pregnant, I would insist on an abortion - as early as possible. I couldn't allow a child to take that kind of risk.

I don't know how I feel.

I don't believe an 11 year old is able to consent to a sexual relationship. In a court of law (in the UK at least) I think a child of her age would not be held responsible for his or her behaviour. However, I don't believe that means a decision should be made for her.

I do believe she should be given lots and lots of counselling to help her make the right choice.

chunderella, it depends. I see it as a human rights violation that she has been clearly steered in to thinking she will be safe and healthy and is now going along (not that she has an alternative) with the idea that this will be great fun. She could very easily die or end up chained to a bed with tubes sticking out of her.

I'd be doing the same as you

Don't get me wrong if it was my dd I would be strongly encouraging her with an abortion even if it meant bribing her with a luxury hoilday, latest gadgets. Anything.

Do you know the youngest mother to give birth was 5?

At what point is young too young to be able to make that decision for themselves?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lina_Medina

Poor children neither of them have asked for or deserve this.
I hope the mother is prosecuted as well as the stepfather.
What on earth are the adults playing at here.? Was the mother using the daughter as a surrogate, it has crossed my mind.

Op I think you have done a very good thread. It has questioned my own views.

morethan the daughter had been raped for 2 years she may never have even had a period, the man probably thought it was "safe"

mcnewpants, I never thought I would be proforced abortion until I read this story a couple days ago. It's just been making me so angry. I belive in the womans right to choose 100% I just don't believe she is a woman, just a horribley abused child who needs action taken to save her.

Poor girl.

She isn't making an I formed choice because she hasn't been given decent information/counselling etc it will all be with a pro life agenda.

If my dd got preg in these circumstances I would want her to have an abortion I think. But I guess it has to be her choice but I would want it to be a properly informed choice.

At what age do children get to have a say over medical procedures? It must depend on the procedure? I insisted my 13yr old had a vaccination, he wasn't happy about it but understood what I said went and the nurse sought my consent, not his.

How likely is it that her life will be in danger?

My niece has just turned 12 and I would say she is mature for her age but I wouldn't trust her to look after my children.

She has already had her childhood stolen and now she has no choice but to go through a pregnancy. I hope Chile will be forced to review and change it's abortion law. A horrible and disturbing article.