A 12-year-old girl has been denied her legal right to an abortion in Argentina and has been forced to give birth to twins.
The Argentinian girl is a victim of rape and became pregnant as a result of the non-consensual sex.
Abortion is illegal in the devoutly Catholic country; however there is a provision that permits the procedure in cases of rape or if the pregnancy is threatening the life of the mother.
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Despite the girl fitting the criteria for an abortion, she has been denied access and has been forced to give birth to two babies via caesarean at the Children's Hospital Dr Hector Quintana.
The 12-year-old was told to wait until the twins 'reached a certain level of maturity' before she was allowed to undergo the C-section on 29 November, according to News Corp.
The Network of Health Professionals for the Right to Decide has released a statement saying the girl has now been placed under the care of the Children's Ombudsman due to the 'legal situation' of her parents.
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The health status of the twin babies is currently unclear.
There have been nearly 700 births from underage mothers in the province where the 12-year-old is from, in this year alone. Argentinian health officials say there are around 350,000 illegal abortions conducted in the country every year.
Argentina attempted to introduce new laws that would allow abortion up to the 14th week of pregnancy, but that timeframe would be extended if the woman has been raped or is in danger of being raped.
However, there were mass protests against the measure. It's the ninth time the Argentinian government has tried to provide abortion access to people in desperate need.
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The measure that was introduced in November was condemned by Pope Francis, who is from Argentina.
The Pontiff said the bill was akin to 'hiring a hitman to solve a problem' and praised protestors for making their voices heard.
Featured Image Credit: PA