Key Macri ally faces murder charges after forcing 12 year-old rape victim to give birth; baby dead

[sandensea]

Gerardo Morales, governor of Argentina's remote Jujuy Province and a close ally of President Mauricio Macri, faces potential murder charges for having used his office to force a 12 year-old rape victim to give birth - a decision leading to the infant's death days later.

The decision has been condemned by both pro-choice and pro-life activists, who announced they intend to file murder charges against Morales and Health Minister Gustavo Bouhid today.

The young mother, who had sought an abortion at the provincial maternity hospital, became a rallying cry for pro-life groups and Argentina's influential Catholic Church.

But despite support from her parents and the hospital's decision to carry out the abortion, Governor Morales reportedly ordered hospital staff to effect the birth against the mother's wishes.

Accordingly, a cesarean section was carried out on January 18. Born severely premature (23 weeks) as a result, the 703 gram (24.7 oz) baby died just four days later.

The obstetrician who carried out the cesarean birth, Dr. Gustavo Briones, resigned his post in protest on January 30, noting that Morales and Bouhid ignored all medical recommendations and forced her to give birth.

Morales claimed on January 21 that "a prominent Jujuy family was interested in adopting the baby." The infant died the next day.

Legal but illegal

Numerous leading Argentine pro-life groups - traditional allies of the right-wing Morales - have declared their intent to pursue the governor's impeachment.

Morales' interference, activists note, was unjustified even under current law: Abortion in Argentina, while still illegal in most cases, has been legal in cases of rape or to save the mother's life since 1921.

According to the Ministry of Health, around 370,000 abortions are performed in the country annually - up to 50,000 of which result in complications, and, in 2017, in 30 deaths.

A bill legalizing abortion on demand up to the 14th week passed the lower house of Congress last June but was defeated on August 8 in the Senate.

Two-thirds of Macri's "Let's Change" coalition - to which Morales belongs - voted against the bill.

At: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&tab=wT&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiempoar.com.ar%2Fnota%2Fimpulsan-denuncia-penal-y-juicio-politico-contra-el-gobernador-gerardo-morales

Jujuy Province Governor Gerardo Morales (left) and his Health Minister, Gustavo Bouhid.

Both face murder charges for forcing a 12 year-old rape victim to gave birth - and without her or her family's consent.

The baby, still premature at 23 weeks, died four days later.

The right-wing Morales has likewise been condemned by human rights groups for his use of arbitrary detention against political prisoners.

[Judi Lynn]

1. Morales had gone way too far so long ago. This decision was concocted in the pits of hell.

The trauma inflicted upon this child, this actual child is unforgivable, and will cripple her psychologically for the rest of her life.

Forcing a properly undeveloped infant to endure four days of pure suffering is also evil.

It would be so good to see that nasty smirk removed from Morales' face once and for all, and it would be justice to see him not only removed from office NOW, but also imprisoned.

Evil, evil fascists. There is NOTHING about them which is redeemable. One way or another, they need to be put out of business, and never allowed to cheat and steal their way back into power again.

May that young female being and her mom and dad find peace, somehow, after being terrorized by Gerardo Morales and that terror given power by the support of Macri's fascist government.

Sandensea, they all need to go.

Thank you for the latest. Hope this can be used for good, at least, in causing the population to soul-search even more about support for Macri.

[sandensea]

2. With elections coming up, he thought this stunt would endear him to the pro-life crowd.

He thought wrong.

This backfired, and very tragically so.

I'd add that, besides crass politics, there could be a corruption angle to this story as well.

Morales himself admitted that a "prominent local family" wanted the baby (sounds like a payoff was offered).

My guess is that after the elections, he'll flee to Miami to avoid prosecution.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Good grief. It's not as if Argentina didn't see that horrifying tactic used already

by the fascist military dictatorship, as pregnant political prisoners were forced to give birth, and, as in this case, even delivered by Cesarean Section, after which the women were taken, chained together with other political prisoners, and thrown from military aircraft flying over the Atlantic or the River Plata, etc., as already testified in court by the pilots, themselves, afterward.

There is no word which can adequately express the depth of horror and depravity involved in this barbaric behavior.

To hear Jujuy's governor Morales has believed it was safe to do this again is monstrous. He must have really, really believed the country belonged entirely to them all over again.

I hope so much that this will be all it takes to send him packing to South Florida, where all the other inhuman fascist criminals always gather, including leaders of death squads, and Bolivia's former vice-president, even Batista hid out there at times (his nephew being placed in Florida's Supreme Court by JEB Bush). One day they will get bold enough, maybe if Trump stays longer, to declare annual re-union days for all the old government criminals against humanity.

In shock, learning Morales was actually preparing to hand off that baby, like the dictatorship did with so many, many orphaned children of tortured and murdered "dissidents." (Oh, why would people ever protest a fine government like that one?)