A cesarean section carried out on an 11-year-old girl raped by her grandmother's husband has reignited the debate about abortion in Argentina, which has strict rules against female reproductive rights.

"I want you to take out of my tummy what the old man put there," the girl had said in a complaint lodged with authorities in the northern province of Tucuman.

She and her mother then submitted an abortion request.

That procedure took seven weeks, though, as doctors invoked their right to conscientious objection.

Argentine authorities often drag their feet in such cases until the legal window for an abortion has passed.

At 23 weeks, doctors deemed the girl to be in danger but instead of an abortion, they performed a caesarean section.

"The child's wishes should have been taken into account. There were two reasons for the abortion," said the family's lawyer, Cecilia De Bono.

Argentine law allows for pregnancy terminations in extreme cases, such as rape or when the mother's life is in danger.