Strollerderby

This is an example of the very ugly side of religion.

That is truly horrifying.  I highly doubt god wanted this girl to die along with the two "babies" she was carrying.  The Catholic church should in no way condone the excommunication of those involved.  The one that should be getting punished is the stepfather; not the mother and doctors trying to help this child through this horrible tragedy.

So she should have carried them to term even though she's nine and doing so likely would have killed her?  That's farking madness.

Glad that they did it regardless of the churches desire. i am not antichurch but I am against letting the church live your life for you. It is a pity that the church couldnt' care less about the girl but cares more about the fetus'.

That poor little girl!!  

I'm not a big fan of the Catholic church and this is a prime example of why- this family probably could have used the loving support of the church during a really horrible time.  Way to go, jerks.

This is the logical end result of a pro-life point of view. After all, if you believe that life begins at conception and that fetal life, from the moment conceived, cannot be terminated or it is "murder," then it doesn't matter who's carrying it. It doesn't matter if Mom is a child herself or if Dad is a rapist - the fetus takes precedent. If you make exceptions in the case of rape or incest, then you're defeating the point of being pro-life in the first place, which is that the fetus is innocent and sacred.

Any pro-lifer who claims to be horrified with this decision is a hypocrite. Pro-choice is pro-child.

Well, I am antichurch, and I'll tell you why. I think what the church did in this case is terrible. But at least it's consistent with their beliefs. If you really believe in god and the bible, doesn't it make sense to follow god's laws? I have to be antichurch because I think that book of myths is nutty, and this is the obvious outcome when people believe its stories are true.

So they wanted the child to die of a ruptured uterus and take the fetus with her.  Is that not murder?  The Catholic church has done a lot of good in the world but a lot of bad, too.  This is the lowest.

I really wonder whether there is a single sane important-priest in the Catholic Church who looks at this situation and says, "Guys, lets not back this up. We will look like absolute idiots!"

I completely agree with Bunny. I am 100% pro-choice, btw. However, if someone says they are pro-life and that abortion is murder, it should not matter if the girl was raped. Murder is murder. When people say they are pro-life except in the case of rape, then I think they don't really view the fetus as a life, but that they want to punish that woman who willingly had sex and got pregnant.

This is horrific. It reminds me of something I was reading the other day (can't remember where - ugh mombrain!). It was talking about how we in the US have really come to take reproductive freedom for granted and how, back in the 60's, when feminists were out in the street fighting for our rights and our lives, they used to call anti-abortionists 'fetus supremacists' - ha!

I just thought that was brilliant (sick and depressing, but brilliant).

I am a pro-lifer. Thank you commenters for telling me what I believe and what is acceptable for me to think. I appreciate the help. I will let you know what you are allowed in your "liberel box" when I feel it appropriate. Don't hold your breath...

Stories like these tear at everyone's heartstrings. It is a horrible example of how evil people can be (the father) and how wrong people can be (the church). This little girl not only should be cared for by the church but this business should absolutely be kept private. This little girl has been raped by her father and now by the media and the protesters. It is a shame.

I do believe all life is precious including the lives of those already born. This 9 year old little girl deserves better.

Part of the issue is that abortion is illegal in Brazil. That comes down to criminal behavior. My pro-life and your pro-choice matter not where the law is set.

Twyla, there are people (for example Sarah Palin and supporters) who believe that elective abortions should be illegal in the US as well, even in cases of rape or incest. What do you think they would have wanted for this little girl? Should she have just tried to carry the twins until all 3 of them died? Doesn't this sort of illustrate the problem with the law in Brazil?

Well, perhaps now that the Vatican has shown itself to be rooting for the death of 9 year old rape victims, the girl and her family can join a sane church.

Twyla - I note in all of the above, that you don't say whether you think this child should have been forced to carry to term or not.

Well, do you?

Bunny- It is not legal in Brazil so it doesn't matter what I think. It is legal here so, again, it doesn't matter what I think. If it was my little girl that was raped I would be doing a lot of soul searching. I don't think it is something I can honestly answer easily.

I do believe I would elect to terminate the pregnancy and save my little girl. And then I would do everything in my power to also keep her secret. I am heartbroken for this little girl who is facing a big battle at such a young age.

I am still pro-life and I am not a hypocrite. That was my point in my previous comment. I don't like being told what I am allowed to believe or think.

Twyla:  No one was saying that what you believe is acceptable for you to believe.  That's for you to decide.  I obviously have my own opinion.  What they were saying was that the church's action in this matter is at least consistent with the pro-life agenda.

To those "attacking" Twyla on the basis of the Church's opinion on this issue being consistent: Many people hold what would be hypocritical views each day. Those who think murder is wrong but support the protection of family during a home invasion by killing the intruder... or even Twyla herself who said that were it her 9-yr-old she may very well elect to terminate the pregnancy despite being pro-life... I don't think it is hypocritical to say, "I am pro-life, although I recognize that in some instances abortion is the 'better' alternative" like for example this case where the life of the 9-yr-old mother was truly in jeopardy.

I think a better way of putting it is to say that one is against dogmatic adherence to a principle, without acknowledging that there can be exceptions to even the most reasonable rule, which in my opinion is the problem here with the Church, not necessarily a pro-life stance in general.

I think it's entirely reasonable to be pro-life but supportive of an abortion in a limited set of circumstances. After all, this particular case is very much not in the bell curve of typical reasons women elect to have an abortion...

And Twyla, I agree with you wholeheartedly that the law is the law. I'd offer, though, that this is why a medical procedure should not be illegal, and that perhaps a better law would be one that grants access to a potentially life-saving (but very controversial) abortion in a limited set of cases. I honestly don't see how to do that without legal access to abortion for all, even knowing that some pregnancies that I think should not be terminated will be.

Your opinions are always thoughtful - I'd be curious to hear them (even if they're considered hypocritical ;-) ).