RESUMO
PIP: This article relates the case of two young girls who became pregnant as a result of rape and their efforts to exercise their rights to terminate the pregnancy. The first victim was a 12-year-old girl from Bolivia and the second was Paulina, a 13-year-old resident of Baja California, Mexico. Though abortion is illegal in both countries, in the case of rape the procedure is "unpunishable" in Bolivia and legal in Mexico. Despite these laws, the girls, their families and their advocates contend repeatedly with local government and Catholic Church officials on the issue. Only the first victim successfully exercised her right to terminate her pregnancy through the efforts of her family and the decision of Penal Judge Luis Ledezma. This paper also highlights the need for reforms in the abortion law in both countries.^ieng