On April 21, a 10-year-old girl in Paraguay showed up to a local hospital and was complaining of severe stomach pains.
After performing a routine exam, doctors could not believe what they found (or that it would bring on a criminal investigation).
In a shocking outcome after DNA testing, it was revealed that the young girl became pregnant after allegedly being sexually abused by her stepfather.
Human rights groups are fighting existing Paraguayan law, which bans abortions unless there are serious health risks, according to CNN, but the risks must be proven.
The girl is currently six months pregnant, but due to her small size, doctors were not able to detect any signs of pregnancy at first glance.
The girl's mother, who brought her to the hospital, asked the staff to allow her daughter to have an abortion, but the Public Health Ministry denied the request, and the girl was relocated to the Red Cross Hospital.
The mother was reportedly arrested immediately in connection with her daughter's rape.
She is now "in custody facing charges of breaching duty of care and being an accomplice to sexual abuse."
Amnesty International is coming to the defense of the 10-year-old girl in this matter, and has slammed Paraguay health officials for forcing her to have her stepfather's baby.
"The physical and psychological impact of forcing this young girl to continue with an unwanted pregnancy is tantamount to torture," said Guadalupe Marengo, deputy director of America's Program at Amnesty International, the Christian Post reported.
Current Paraguay laws state that anyone who performs an abortion can be sentenced to 15-30 months in prison, including women who attempt to perform abortions on themselves.
The incident has since crossed international lines, and the viewpoints are totally split down the middle. Some Christians believe that she should be allowed to get an abortion, while other Christians have urged Paraguay to maintain its anti-abortion laws and not to relax them, no matter the circumstance.
Paraguay health officials argued that an abortion could be even more harmful for the 10-year-old than going through with the pregnancy in the first place, and said that continuing the pregnancy and performing a C-section should be the plan of action.
Amnesty International argued, on the other hand, that pregnancy could be especially dangerous for a girl whose body is not fully developed yet.
Back in February, Archbishop Edmundo Valenzeula of Asuncion said in a message to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon that Paraguay will not be forced to change its stance on issues such as abortion, euthanasia or gay marriage, according to the Christian Post.
"We cannot deny our concern regarding the pressures constantly exerted on the Paraguayan state, which is free and sovereign, by so-called 'U.N. experts,' many of whom adhere to obscure ideologies that openly contradict our human and Christian values," Valenzeula said.
A warrant has been issued for the girl's stepfather, who is currently at large.
