When Paulina Ramírez was 13 years old, she was raped by an intruder in her home. A few weeks later, after finding out that she was pregnant because of the rape, she decided to have an abortion. Although first-trimester abortion is legal in cases of rape throughout Mexico, Paulina was pressured to change her decision by anti-choice activists. Ultimately, the director of the state hospital — where she went to get the abortion — frightened Paulina and her mother into believing that Paulina would die or become sterile if she had an abortion. As a result, Paulina and her mother decided that she would carry her pregnancy to term.
On March 8, 2006, almost four years to the day after a case was filed on Paulina’s behalf in the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights, the Center and its partners in Mexico, Alaide Foppa and GIRE (Information Group on Reproductive Choice), signed a settlement agreement with the Mexican government. The Mexican government will issue a decree requiring states to set guidelines for access to abortion for women who have been raped. It has also provided Paulina and her son significant compensation for health care, education, and professional development.
"This is the most important legal victory for women in Mexico in a decade," says Luisa Cabal, Director of the International Legal Program at the Center. "It is the first time a Latin American government has acknowledged that access to legal abortion is a human right, and now the Mexican government is required to ensure that this right is not violated."
Lilian Sepúlveda, Legal Adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Center, spoke with Paulina, who is now 20 years old.
Q: How did you feel when you found out that you were pregnant?
Paulina: From the beginning, I wanted an abortion. But I was worried. I didn’t know what the doctors would do—whether they would allow me to get an abortion.
Q: How did your mother feel when she found out you were pregnant?
Paulina: We found out about it together. She was very angry that this was happening to me. But she was with me all along, and she gave me a lot of courage.
Q: Can you tell me about your interaction with the attorney general of your state?
Paulina: He took me to see a priest. I met with the priest in his office. The priest met with my mom too. He told me that I shouldn’t have an abortion—that the fetus was part of my blood, that I would be committing a sin. He told me about another case about a nun who had been raped and got pregnant, and how she kept the baby. I told him this had nothing to do with me.
Q: Your story got a lot of media attention. What did it feel like to be getting so much attention at that point in your life?
Paulina: It was very hard. I wasn’t able to live a normal life, like my friends were doing. I didn’t have any freedom. Plus, everyone knew about what happened to me, and it was all over the news. But my mom told me that it didn’t matter what people said.
Q: How do you feel about the settlement?
Paulina: I think the agreement was very good. But I am worried because I know there are other similar cases in Mexicali—women who are being denied abortions.
Q: Did people in your community know about your situation? How did they feel about the settlement?
Paulina: I didn’t leave the house too much, so I don’t know how people in the community felt, really. I wasn’t thinking so much about what people thought. I wanted to live my life and that was all.
Q: Do you have any message for women who live in countries where abortion is highly restricted or illegal?
Paulina: I hope that [this case] shows women that they shouldn’t let themselves be humiliated. Many times women aren’t used to going against what others and their families tell them. Most of all, it is important for women to know that they have rights and should push for them. The government must respect women’s rights.
Q: What were your experiences like working with people at the Center?
Paulina: Very good. They helped me along all the time, taking my feelings and thoughts into account. I am very grateful.
Plaintiff Profile: Aid for Women v. Foulston