Rare exception
Tijuana prosecutor says abortion ok for 12-year-old rape victim
State prosecutors in Baja California have given the green light for a 12-year-old girl who became pregnant after twice being raped to obtain a legal abortion.
Rape, "genetic malformation," and grave risk to the life of the mother are the only exceptions to a Baja California law making abortion a criminal offense. In order to obtain an abortion under any of the exceptions, a woman must first present evidence and obtain permission from state legal authorities, then find a physician willing to perform the procedure. The case involves a girl identified publicly only as "Yesenia," who is six weeks pregnant after allegedly being raped first by her brother-in-law and later by a man identified only as "a mechanic." The child's mother brought the case to the attention of authorities.
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