Babies Having Babies: 10-Year-Old Girl Gives Birth

Teen Moms have nothing on this girl. Today, news echoed around the globe that a 10-year-old Romanian girl living in Southern Spain gave birth to a baby girl last week. While most parents would be horrified, this girl’s mother was ecstatic.

Identifying herself only as “Olimpia,” the mother of the unnamed 10-year-old, who is a Romanian Gypsy, told reporters that marrying young and having children is acceptable in their culture. She also claimed to not understand what the fuss is all about.

“That’s the way we get married,” the girl’s mother told Spanish reporters outside of her home in Lebrija, Spain.

Although it appears that the girl and the child’s father (a 13-year-old Romanian boy still living in Romania) are not legally married, arranged “marriages” are common in Roma (Romanian Gypsy) culture. According to The Associated Press, Roma “families ‘marry off’ daughters when they reach puberty, with the ‘husband’ usually being a couple of years older. The marriages are not recognized by the state.”

Whenever a child gets pregnant or has a baby this young, the first thought centers around abuse. However, Spanish officials will have a tough time making a case.

The Associated Press reports, “Under Spanish law, having consensual sex with someone under age 13 is classified as child abuse. But a Justice Ministry official said this particular case is complicated, because the alleged father is not in Spain and is also a minor. It is not clear whether he could be charged.”

No matter what happens with this young girl and her baby, her life will drastically change. Her childhood is gone and she will be tasked with the very grown-up responsibility of raising a child.

What do you think? Should the father of the baby or this young girl’s parents face charges? You tell us!