The Ministry of Health of Entre Ríos (Argentina) authorized the gynecologist Leandro Rodríguez Lastra to resume his profession in private, leaving without effect the precautionary measure that had sanctioned him for not having had an abortion in 2017.
In November 2020, the Ministry of Health of Entre Rivers disabled the registration of the doctor who, by then, had opened a private office in the municipality of Gualeguaychú.
This disqualification had followed the sentence of October 4, 2019 of the Court of Rio Negro, which sentenced the doctor to one year and two months in prison pending, already two years and four months of disqualification to practice public office.
However, the defense the doctor appealed the court ruling. In addition, in December 2020 he filed an appeal with the ministry, which received a favorable response.
The resolution of February 11 of the ministry indicates that “the sentence of imprisonment and disqualification (of court) is not firm and consented”, so it is “without effect ex officio, the precautionary measure” against Rodríguez Lastra .
Damià Torres, one of Rodríguez Lastra’s defense lawyers, told ACI Prensa that even if the court ruling is confirmed, the doctor could only be disqualified from practicing medicine in a public position, not in the private sector, where he could continue his profession.
The case of abortion
Gynecologist Leandro Rodríguez Lastra was convicted of preventing an abortion in 2017, which saved the life of the mother and her 23-week-old son.
In April 2017, the 19-year-old mother arrived in severe pain at the Pere Moguillansky Hospital in the city of Cipolletti, after having ingested misoprostol administered by the organization La Revolta to try an abortion clandestine.
Rodríguez Lastra, who was on duty, intervened when the patient arrived at risk of death, with more than five months of pregnancy. The baby weighed about 500 grams. The gynecologist did not perform the abortion because, in addition to ending the child’s life, it put the mother at risk.
The gynecologist stabilized the mother and when the baby was seven and a half months pregnant, the medical board ordered her to give birth by cesarean section. Eventually, the baby was given up for adoption.
Marta Milesi defended the non-punishable abortion protocol and at that time deputy for the province of Rio Negro, was the one who reported the doctor.
During the trial, in September 2019, prosecutor Santiago Márquez Gauna accused the doctor of putting his will “above the will of the patient” and of violating the law. “He didn’t ask her consent to do everything he did” and prevented an abortion already started, she said.
He also accused him of leaving the woman a scar from the cesarean section that “will remind him all his life of the ordeal he had to go through.”
The Negro River Court found Rodriguez Lastra guilty of failing to perform his duties as a civil servant. Judge Álvaro Meynet argued that the doctor carried out “a delaying maneuver” and that, by not being registered in the register of conscientious objectors, he was required by law to perform the abortion.
The court ruling has been appealed.
Through a video message on his twitter account, Rodríguez Lastra thanked all those who “helped him in one way or another” on February 24. “The way is this, respecting and enforcing the right of all,” he stressed.
If to prevent me from thinking differently, Who violates the rights of whom ..?
I share the excellent news of my situation in Entre Rius.@leanjacobi @datorresok @MxlaVidaoficial @AbogadosVida @elentrerios pic.twitter.com/UCYkF9gaTE
– Leandro Rodriguez Lastra (@LeandroRLok) February 24, 2021