Pro-life lawyers are fighting a court's decision to allow a 12-year-old rape victim to have an abortion because they don't think she's mature enough "to decide to murder her own child."

The girl fell pregnant after being raped by a male relative and the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals upheld a decision to allow her to have a termination without her parents' consent.

She reportedly told the court that she does not know her father, she claimed her mother is abusive towards her and she has been removed from her care five times.

The girl - who cannot be named for legal reasons - also said that she was scared of having the baby and has no family support.

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Anti-abortion lawyers Lorie Mullins and Win Johnson are trying to fight the court's decision and argue that she is too young to decide to terminate the pregnancy.

Ms Mullins, who has never met the girl, said: "The courts, the law has decided that she’s not old enough, wise enough and mature enough to make her own decision about whether or not she wants to drink, to buy a pack of cigarettes to drive a car.

"They have now put this decision, this responsibility, in her hands."

Johnson echoed these comments as he claimed that the foetus should be protected.

He said: "Government is supposed to protect innocent life.

"The Court of Civil Appeals made the decision that this girl was mature enough to decide to murder her own child in her womb.

"Has anyone explained this too her in its darkest, rawest form? In this case we're victimising two people."

Online Editors