Chilean woman found carrying brainless foetus

Santiago, Dec 26 (IANS/EFE) A Chilean woman, who is 36 weeks pregnant, has been found to carry a foetus which has no brain.

After learning about her baby’s condition, Claudia Pizarro, who also suffers from cancer of the uterus, has appealed to a court to let her undergo a therapeutic abortion.

Pizarro presented an appeal for protection of her constitutional rights on grounds that her foetus, which in any case will not be able to live outside the womb, keeps her from having her illness treated.

“I’m not asking that they kill my child. My daughter will die at birth. I’m pleading for my life so I can seek treatment as soon as possible,” the woman said.

Pizarro has an 11-year-old son.

If the court accepts the appeal, Claudia intends to donate the baby’s organs “to help other children who do have a chance to live”, she said.

Chile is one of the few countries in the world that ban therapeutic abortion, but two bills are now before parliament seeking to decriminalise the procedure.

–IANS/EFE