Brazilian judge probed for blocking abortion for raped child
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil's judicial watchdog agency says it is investigating a judge who stopped an 11-year-old rape victim from getting an abortion — a procedure that advocates insist is allowed in the South American nation for rape cases at any stage of a pregnancy.
Santa Catarina state Judge Joana Ribeiro Zimmer was filmed at a hearing May 9 asking the child whether she understood how pregnancies happen, referring to her rapist as “the father of the baby," asking her to “hold on a little more” to save it and even suggesting a name should be picked. The girl repeatedly said she did not want to give birth.
Abortion rights are expected to be one of the big issues in Brazil's presidential election in October, which will pit far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is the current front-runner in opinion polls. Both are trying to appeal to moderate voters.
The case, reported by the website The Intercept Brasil last week, prompted associations of magistrates and human rights groups to request that the country's National Council of Justice remove Zimmer from her post. The council announced Tuesday it has opened an investigation.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/brazilian-judge-probed-blocking-abortion-210401000.html