April 10, 2009

Yet another child rape in Mexico highlights the fight between pro-life and pro-choice!

By Mariana MartĂ*nez

A man accused of raping his own daughter was arrested April 3rd in Tijuana. The girl, who is 12 years old, is pregnant as a result of her father’s rape.

According to the case file, 32 year-old Israel Estrada Olivo, was raping his daughter for at least three years, ever since the girl was just 9 years-old.

In 2006, the 9 year-old girl, who we will call Lucia to protect her identity, had some vaginal bleeding so her mother took her to the clinic thinking she might be starting her menstrual cycle at an early age, but instead found out that her Lucia had been raped and she was naming her own father as the perpetrator.

Leticia, Lucia’s mother, returned home and confronted her husband, but instead of calling the police, she fled with her three children to go live at her sister’s house in Rosarito.

After two years of begging, Leticia finally gave in to Israel’s pleas and decided to go back.

But the man lied, and he continued raping Lucia while his wife was at work. He threatened the child so she would not tell of the abuse, and it worked, until the girl fell ill and was taken to a clinic, where she was diagnosed with asthmatic bronchitis…and an 8 week pregnancy.

Israel confessed his crime and is now in jail facing charges of aggravated rape that if found guilty could mean 15 years in jail. The mother has also been arrested on charges of accessory to rape and child neglect.

This recent case in Baja California is not just a private tragedy, but it is setting the stage for a new confrontation between pro-life and pro-choice activists in the state.

About a year ago, state legislators started to approve changes in regulations that establish “a right to the protection of life since conceptionâ€