14 year old girl gets razor blade abortion...

An Afghan girl finds herself in critical care at a US army hospital in Afghanistan today after her mother and brother cut her abdomen open with a razor blade, removed the 5 month old fetus the girl had inside her and sewed her up with needle and thread. The only reason she ever made it to the hospital is that her father was worried once the wound became seriously infected. He told doctors it was a dog bite.

The story was reported by Jane Armstrong in the Globe and Mail and appears in today's G & M...

The 14 year old's pregnancy was the result of a rape. Victims often keep quiet about rape in Afghanistan because in many cases the victim is shamed by friends and family and the police will claim that she consented to sex or lured the man into sleeping with her.

Abortion is illegal in Afghanistan unless the mother's health is seriously at risk. Even then, abortion must be debated by a panel of doctors.

So just so we're clear: this 14 year old victim of rape, would be stuck with a baby she didn't want, shamed by her family, would never find a husband. Since abortion is illegal her mother butchered her with a razor to get the fetus out and possibly killed her own daughter in the process.

Every country of the world should have provisions to protect victims of rape, especially ones so young. To help them should they want help. To be there for them should they need someone there. It seems to me that caring for our young people should be a priority no matter where you are in the world.

Muchacho Enfermo