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They Just Went for Him

Refusal to Perform Abortion Lands Mexicali Doctor in Jail

By Iván Barerra

Mexican authorities arrested the director of the General Hospital in Mexicali, the state capital of Baja California, after a complaint was lodged against him by a group of radical feminists when he and other physicians under his supervision refused to perform an abortion on a 14-year-old girl who had been sexually assaulted.

Dr. Ismael Avila Iniguez was detained for more than three hours in October for disobeying an October 6 judicial order to perform the abortion. The doctor said his personal convictions prevented him from performing the abortion, and that all of the other physicians on his staff also refused.

"My obligation was to see that the procedure was performed as ordered by the district attorney," he said. "As a public functionary I had no choice. I was obligated to obey the request, but the nine gynecologists available to perform the abortion absolutely refused. A hundred percent of the doctors refused to perform the abortion. In this situation, there was not much I could do."

Silvia Reséndiz Flores, Silvia Beltrán, Leticia Maldonado, Rebecca Maltos, Maricarmen Rioseco, María Santos, Ernesto Santillán and Nancy Soto were identified by La Crónica de Mexicali as the persons who filed the complaint against Dr. Avila.

Among the accusations the group made against Dr. Avila were abuse of authority, improper handling of official documents, violations of provisions of the Penal Code of Baja California, collusion by public servants, and torture.

In a document provided to La Crónica, the feminists claimed that Avila placed personal interests above his responsibilities as a public health official. They alleged that the child, a victim of rape, was denied public health services and forced to obtain a judicial order and that hospital officials violated her freedom, personal intimacy, and dignity.

"These feminist women do not care about the physical, emotional, or psychological health of the child," explained Marcella Vaquera, a member of the Mexicali Pro-Life Committee. "What they are really interested in is establishing a legal precedent in favor of abortion, to continue with their agenda of promoting what the Holy Father, John Paul II, has described as 'a culture of death'."

"The doctor has the freedom to decide if he wants to perform an abortion or not," said Alejo López, president of School for Parents of Baja California. "No law, no government can obligate a person to perform an act that goes against his conscience and ethics. The law of God has to be above man's law. This group of radical feminists is supported by the Party of the Democratic Revolution (a left-leaning political party in Mexico), and are subsidized by international pro-abortion organizations. This group is hiding behind political parties like the PRD and the PRI (the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which has held power in Mexico for more than 60 years)."

Asked whether he was afraid, Dr. Avila said he was not because "people who are not criminals have nothing to fear. I am personally against abortion."

"It is not right that someone obligates a doctor to practice an abortion. Even the law gives that right," said Marcella Vaquero. "How can it be possible that they want to obligate a doctor to practice a murder, as is abortion, and they can't require Jehovah's Witnesses to honor the flag because their convictions don't allow it?"

Alejo López said the government's treatment of Avila was an abuse of authority. "They didn't give him a citation. They just went for him. The correct thing to do is to follow the legal process, but the doctor was directly arrested and questioned by agents for the prosecution. I admire the ethics and the principles of Dr. Avila," said López.

"They were intimidating Dr. Avila," said Vaquera. "They gave him 48 hours to comply with the abortion order. Dr. Avila is an honorable person, and he was firm in his position in not performing the abortion. The chief of gynecology and the rest of the medical team was furious because they wanted to force them to perform an abortion. It is one thing for a little girl to have legal rights, and another thing whether they have the authority to force doctors to perform abortions. Can you imagine if they legalize abortion for any reason? In a short period of time medical institutions will become abortion houses."

According to La Crónica, the 14-year-old and her mother changed their minds about the abortion after pro-lifers "pressured the family."

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