The Paraguayan man who allegedly sexually abused and impregnated his 10-year-old stepdaughter has been arrested after being on a 15 days run, police confirms as reported by Yahoo News. Gilberto Benitez, 42, however insists he was innocent and set-up by his girlfriend, the stepdaughter’s mother, but faces 15 years in prison if convicted of rape.
“I will do any (paternity) test to show it wasn’t me,” he said, adding: “I’ve been with tons of women, and I never got anybody pregnant.”
The rape and impregnation of the 10-year-old girl has sparked a heated abortion discussion in both houses of the country’s Congress and by humanitarian group, including the Amnesty International, who are soliciting for the girl’s pregnancy to be aborted to avoid putting her life in danger, as her 75-pound body is not matured enough to withstand the rigors of pregnancy, now at five months. Click here if you missed it!
Paraguay is a conservative mostly Roman Catholic country, and abortion is a criminal offense except in cases when the mother’s life is in danger.
Unfortunately, the government, courts, the Catholic Church and other groups have insisted that her pregnancy should not be terminated, partly due to its advanced stage.
“The pregnancy will not be interrupted,” Health Minister Antonio Barrios has said. “We’ve already completely ruled out abortion.”
According to the report, the girl’s pregnancy was discovered late in April 21 when her mother brought her to a public health clinic believing she had a tumor. The mother is now under arrest by authorities as they believe she enabled her daughter’s abuse.