Girl, 9, Gives Birth in Mexico

A 9-year-old Mexican girl, under the
reported name of Dafne, gave birth to a
baby girl on Jan. 27, 2013 in Jalisco,
Mexico.
Both mother and child are at home and
healthy, Dr. Enrique Rabago, director of
Zoquipan Hospital, said at a press
conference this morning.
The search continues, according to
authorities, for the baby’s 17-year-old
father, who may be criminally charged
for having a sexual relationship with
Dafne.
“Due to her young age, we don’t know if
she is being entirely truthful,” says Lino
Ginzalez Corona, spokesperson at Jalisco
State Prosecutor’s Office, who received
an account of the relationship from the
young mother who describes a loving
relationship.
According to Corona, the 17-year-old and
Dafne were dating but the young girl is
unwilling to release any further
information regarding the association
between the two.
“She did not realize that she was
pregnant until the seventh month,” said
Corona. Her boyfriend suggested Dafne
move in with him and to raise the child
together but when the young mother
refused, her boyfriend “decided to leave
town two months ago,” says Corona.
State authorities are searching for the
father of the child to acquire his own
account of what occurred between the
two. The prosecutor’s office in the state
of Jalisco said they are willing to request
cooperation from neighboring state
authorities if necessary.
Corona says the state prosecutor is “still
open to the possibility of rape or child
sex abuse.”
Dafne, who is one of 11 children, lives in
Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, a
poverty-stricken neighborhood 25 miles
south of Guadalajara. “Her parents work
all day and were not watching after her,”
says Corona, “and therefore didn’t
realize what was about to happen.”
The girl was given a C-Section at the time
of the birth. “Due to her young age and
to the fact that her body was not ready to
give birth,” says Rabago, “the medical
team decided a C-Section was the best
option” for both mother and child.
Rabago said at the press conference that
Dafne will be receiving both medical and
psychological attention.
Last year, in Zoquipan Hospital, around
25 percent of the pregnancies were
among teens.