Doctors at the San Antonio de los Sauces Hospital in Monteagudo, Chuquisaca, refused to perform a termination of pregnancy on a 12-year-old girl, the result of rape, invoking conscientious objection, reported Erbol. The doctors decided to send her to the city of Sucre for the procedure.

The victim became pregnant at the age of 11 and is approximately 23 weeks pregnant, that is, almost six months. There is a request for a legal termination, however, the Medical Board refused to perform the procedure.

The director of the Monteagudo hospital, Luis Ayala, informed about the determination of the Medical Board that made the decision and added that he cannot "impose on the doctors to do a procedure against which they have conscientious objection", and that the minor will be referred to a third level hospital in Sucre.

"The four doctors evaluated the girl and expressed conscientious objection because of the risks, so it was decided to refer her to a tertiary hospital," Ayala said.

According to local radio station Suprema, the hospital's medical board recommended that the pregnancy be continued until the 38th week of gestation and that "if necessary," the baby be adopted after birth.

For his part, the delegate of the Ombudsman's Office in Chuquisaca, Edwin Martinez, said that the Departmental Health Service (Sedes) will be asked to investigate the case and prosecute the doctors of Monteagudo for "the delay in making a determination".

Martinez said that it took five days to make the decision to transfer the minor to Sucre, and that the previous week the doctors in Monteagudo had already been asked to attend to the request.

"We are going to ask the Sedes to initiate an investigation against these bad officials, to establish administrative and even criminal responsibilities because it is not conducive to have so many days to make a decision just now," added the authority.