Raped girl, 11, given go-ahead for abortion

AN 11-year-old girl who was reportedly raped by her uncle can have an abortion in Romania on exceptional grounds, the country’s government ruled.

The girl, who claims she was raped by her 19-year -old relative, is 21 weeks pregnant — beyond the 14 weeks legal limit for abortion in her country.

At a meeting, Romanian government committee member Vlad Iliescu read out an emotive letter from the girl. It said: “I want to go to school and to play. If I can’t do this, my life will be a nightmare.”

Iliescu said that a 21-week-old foetus would have a 1% chance of survival. He added that “the girl’s mental health would be severely affected if she had a baby”.

Members had discussed allowing the girl to travel to Britain for a termination or ruling that she must continue with her pregnancy.