Juan Pablo Medina, 25, a law student from Colombia, accused the mother of his unborn child of attempted homicide. Making an emergency appeal for guardianship of the baby, Medina was unable to save his son when, ignoring the judge, the abortion clinic, which might be indirectly funded by British taxpayer money, went ahead with the abortion.

Juan Pablo Medina has gained notoriety in his native Colombia after he tried to save his son from being aborted. Having agreed with his girlfriend, Angie Tatiana Palta, 22, to have a baby with her, Palta appeared to change her mind when she was almost eight months into her pregnancy.

Despite being supported by her boyfriend, Palta first attempted to have an abortion by claiming that the baby had deformities, despite an ultrasound showing the baby to be healthy, and also argued that she was in great mental distress - either reason would have met the criteria for an abortion in Colombia.

Medina believed that the real reason why his girlfriend wanted an abortion was that her family found out about the pregnancy and pressured her into a termination. This was backed-up when, finally visiting Palta in hospital, he was told by doctors that the baby was healthy and that his girlfriend was not mentally disturbed.

Fighting to save a life

After the mother was discharged from hospital, she had no contact with Medina for eight days. Fearing for his unborn child, Medina filed a criminal complaint that alleged attempted homicide. He also appealed for emergency guardianship. He feared that Palta would try for another abortion - which she did.

Medina also took his appeal online with the Twitter hashtag #SalvemosaJuanSe - Let’s save JuanSe - after he named his unborn son Juan Sebastián (or JuanSe). Also speaking to the prominent Colombian magazine Semana, Medina said that he had been told that his girlfriend was "not ready to welcome the child, wants to finish her career and doesn’t have the financial means."

The criteria she was using to abort the baby was "psychological distress."

During the case for guardianship, the officiating judge requested proof from medical authorities that Palta was genuinely suffering from "suicidal thoughts." While the hospital had ruled that she was not mentally distressed, an abortion clinic operated by ProFamila, which Palta had later approached, submitted an evaluation that stated she was suffering from psychological trauma - this was not, however, the conclusion of a psychologist or psychiatrist, but the supposition of a gynaecologist unqualified in such matters.

Judged insufficient as evidence, the judge ordered another evaluation. Outrageously, ProFamila went ahead with the abortion on 7 February, ignoring the judge’s request.

The UK indirectly funds abortion in Colombia

Colombia legalised abortion in 2006 for cases of fetal deformities, rape and when the physical or mental health of the mother was deemed by doctor to be at risk. In 2018, the country’s Constitutional Court ruled that abortion was a "human right" and requested that the government further define the legal circumstances that would allow for an abortion.

ProFamilia, which ran the clinic where Juan’s son was killed, is an affiliate of the International Federation of Planned Parenthood (IPPF). Last year, the British government’s Department for International Development awarded £132 million in aid to the London-based organisation, which promotes and provides for abortion around the world.

John Smeaton, SPUC Chief Executive said:

"The heartbreaking case of Juan Pablo Medina denied the rights of fatherhood in a country that affirms abortion as a ‘human right’ is an outrage to justice and common decency. The UK government is shamed by its funding of the International Federation of Planned Parenthood that is associated with the clinic where the abortion took place."

Mr Smeaton called for the UK’s Department for International Development to "discontinue its funding of such organisations that promote and provide for abortion around the globe."

The IPPF has contributed large amounts of money to its projects in Colombia. Between 2008 and 2016, it spent nearly $18 million to provide or promote abortion and "sexual and reproductive health" in Colombia.

"An injustice that cries out to heaven"

In the aftermath of the death of Medina’s son, the Colombian bishops’ conference spoke out against the abortion, calling it "an injustice that cries out to heaven."

Their statement also emphasised how the bishops were "perplexed by how the institutions of this country did not guarantee the rights of the father who persistently and tenaciously fought for the life of his son through the applicable channels."

Prayers vigils were held outside ProFamilia clinics in Colombian, including in the capital Bogotá, on 11 February.

Tragically, Medina does not know what happened to the body of his son. His wish is to give Juan Sebastián a Christian burial.