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Religious extremists attack, call doctor murderer for abortion on 10-year-old girl raped for years by uncle

The protest at the hospital was reportedly triggered by tweets from right-wing politicians

Religious activists in Brazil reportedly branded a doctor an "assassin" after he performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim. Under state law, abortion is illegal barring exceptional cases wherein the woman's life is in danger or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. The São Mateus native, in this case, checked both the exceptions.

But hardline Catholic activists gathered outside the hospital and branded the doctor ‘Assassino’ – Portuguese for ‘killer’ – as he performed the judicially-authorized procedure. According to local outlets, the protest was incited by a targeted online campaign. "There is a group of religious people in front of the hospital where the 10-year-old girl is having an abortion due to the rape she suffered, I repeat RAPE, calling the doctor a murderer," one user wrote on Twitter as they shared footage of protesters crying chants against abortion.

The young girl, who was not identified for legal reasons, was brought to the hospital on August 8 and a blood test confirmed she was three months pregnant after having been repeatedly raped by her uncle from the age of six. While the perpetrator has since been indicted for the crime, authorities are yet to apprehend him. The disturbing case sparked the hashtag #GravidezAos10Mata – Portuguese for ‘pregnancy at 10 kills’ – as well as a Change.org petition that garnered 656,384 signatures calling for the abortion to be approved.

While the petition was successful, far-right Brazilian politician Sara Winter reportedly argued that the minor should persist through the pregnancy, undergo a C-section, and give the baby up for adoption. Winter is said to have also exposed the name of the child and the hospital where the procedure was taking place, thereby encouraging activists to gather at the building and "put their knees on the floor" for the baby. However, a judge has since ordered Winter's posts to be taken down from social media.

Maria Gabriela Agapito, a public defender and coordinator for the Promotion and Defense of Women’s Rights, revealed that Winter "made an exposure of the child’s identity, exposing her physical and psychological integrity, mainly because the location of the hospital in Recife was indicated, generating an entire situation." according to Tilt. While the lawsuit indicates posts to be removed, Agapito said the ombudsman is currently investigating, and "as soon as we identify others of the same content, we will be indicating, even within that same process through an amendment."

"To incite people to go to the place is to incite violence against the child and against the health professionals who will assist them. She [Sara] would need to be investigated through a police inquiry and the prosecutor's office for children and youth," Ariel de Castro, a lawyer specializing in the rights of children and youth, told the outlet.

At least four girls, 13 or younger, are raped every hour in Brazil. In April, it emerged that a 10-year-old girl had given birth at a Rio Branco hospital, and in December last year, a 13-year-old girl who had been repeatedly raped by her own father died after giving birth.