The abortion cases that could force El Salvador to loosen its ban
3 years, 10 months ago

The abortion cases that could force El Salvador to loosen its ban

Al Jazeera  

Appeal of Salvadoran woman’s 30-year sentence for suspected abortion comes amid ‘green wave’ of decriminalisation in Latin America. San Salvador, El Salvador – Lawyers are fighting for the release of one of the dozens of women imprisoned for abortion-related crimes in El Salvador in a case that could signal if the country will be swept up by the region’s “green wave” of abortion decriminalisation. The United Nations has repeatedly denounced El Salvador’s criminalisation of women suspected of abortion, including in a 2020 report that called for the end of arbitrary detention of three women, including Sara. “If El Salvador is really serious about its international obligations to human rights, this is an opportunity to free Sarita,” said Paula Avila-Guillen, a lawyer consulting for Sara’s legal team as executive director of Women’s Equality Center, a US-based organisation that supports feminist organising in Latin America. El Salvador’s Vice President Felix Ulloa recently said in an interview with Univision anchor Jorge Ramos that legislators are reviewing the total abortion ban as part of a larger effort to reform the constitution, which currently enshrines the right to life starting at conception.

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History of this topic

Regional court faults El Salvador for denying a mother’s access to abortion, violating her rights
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Regional court faults El Salvador for denying a mother’s access to abortion, violating her rights

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The Inter-American Court of Human Rights on Friday found El Salvador’s government responsible for violating the rights of a young Salvadoran woman who was denied an abortion of her anencephalic fetus in a country with a total ban on abortions. The Costa Rica-based regional court said the government was responsible for obstetric violence, health violations …

At least 241 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons during the ‘war on gangs,’ rights group says
9 months, 1 week ago

At least 241 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons during the ‘war on gangs,’ rights group says

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR — At least 241 people have died in El Salvador prisons since the start of President Nayib Bukele’s “war on gangs” two years ago, according to the organization Humanitarian Legal Relief. According to the NGO report, “of these deaths, 44% died of violent death, serious torture, 29% due to lack of medical attention.” While the government is accused …

What does a total abortion ban look like in Dominican Republic?
1 year ago

What does a total abortion ban look like in Dominican Republic?

Associated Press  

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — The Dominican Republic is one of four Latin American nations that criminalizes abortion without exceptions. Abortion rights activists argue that the country’s total abortion ban not only restricts women’s reproductive choices but also puts their lives in danger. The country’s motto is “God, Country, Freedom,” and the government holds a concordat, or agreement, with the …

What does a total abortion ban look like in Dominican Republic?
1 year ago

What does a total abortion ban look like in Dominican Republic?

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Abortion rights activists argue that the country’s total abortion …

Mexico decriminalizes abortion, extending Latin American trend of widening access to procedure
1 year, 4 months ago

Mexico decriminalizes abortion, extending Latin American trend of widening access to procedure

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s Supreme Court threw out all federal criminal penalties for abortion Wednesday, ruling that national laws prohibiting the procedure are unconstitutional and violate women’s rights in a sweeping decision that extended Latin American’s trend of widening abortion access. After 40 years, the Supreme Court reversed its abortion decision, and we’re not going to stop until Mexico guarantees …

Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion nationwide
1 year, 4 months ago

Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion nationwide

LA Times  

A woman holds a banner that says “Legal, safe, and free abortion” as abortion rights protesters demonstrate in front of Congress in 2020. Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalized abortion nationwide Wednesday, two years after ruling that abortion was not a crime in one northern state. Wednesday’s sweeping court decision comes amid a trend in Latin America of loosening restrictions on abortion, …

Inter-American Court of Human Rights to hear abortion rights case for the first time
1 year, 9 months ago

Inter-American Court of Human Rights to hear abortion rights case for the first time

Firstpost  

El Salvador will be in the dock before the Costa Rica-based IACHR for alleged human rights violations and ’torture’ for forcing a woman identified only as ‘Beatriz’ to carry a non-viable fetus for nearly three months despite a risk to her health San José, Costa Rica: For the first time in its history, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights will …

How US abortion organisers are learning from Honduran activists
1 year, 10 months ago

How US abortion organisers are learning from Honduran activists

Al Jazeera  

As networks, some clandestine, form to help women access abortion in the US, they look to Central America for a road map – and a warning. “My name is Edith Romero, I’m from Honduras, and I received an abortion last December,” she told the crowd to cheers of support. “If somebody has a self-induced abortion and complications, they’re going to …

El Salvador extends state of exception as arrests hit 50,000
2 years, 4 months ago

El Salvador extends state of exception as arrests hit 50,000

Al Jazeera  

El Salvador’s Congress has approved a one-month extension to a state of exception used to round up alleged gang members, as the chief of police announced more than 50,000 people had been detained under the extraordinary measures. “We can inform the Salvadoran people that we have already reached 50,000 recorded detentions during the period of the emergency regime,” Mauricio Arriaza, …

Op-Ed: Abortion ban ‘exceptions’ cannot protect life
2 years, 6 months ago

Op-Ed: Abortion ban ‘exceptions’ cannot protect life

LA Times  

Dr. Blair Cushing, left, consults with a patient who will have a medication abortion at Whole Woman’s Health of McAllen in Texas, where lawmakers are seeking to ban abortion. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade has already set into motion legal processes to criminalize abortion in at least 15 states, with immediate and catastrophic health consequences for …

Latin American activists undeterred despite US abortion rollback
2 years, 6 months ago

Latin American activists undeterred despite US abortion rollback

Al Jazeera  

Women’s rights advocates across Americas region say their struggle goes on after top US court overturns Roe v Wade. So when the United States Supreme Court decision that upended the right to an abortion in the country became official last week, the blow was personal across North and South America. “Now they have really left things in our hands – …

Salvadoran women jailed for abortion warn US of total ban
2 years, 7 months ago

Salvadoran women jailed for abortion warn US of total ban

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We lose our rights.” Abortion rights activists say the …

Salvadoran women jailed for abortion warn US of total ban
2 years, 7 months ago

Salvadoran women jailed for abortion warn US of total ban

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It’s violence against us.” Abortion rights activists say the …

El Salvador woman jailed following obstetric emergency: NGO
2 years, 8 months ago

El Salvador woman jailed following obstetric emergency: NGO

Al Jazeera  

The woman was given a 30-year sentence for homicide over the death of an unborn child. A woman in El Salvador has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the death of her unborn child following an obstetric emergency, according to a rights group. The Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion said on Monday that the 28-year-old woman, …

El Salvador criminalises showing gang-related messages in media
2 years, 9 months ago

El Salvador criminalises showing gang-related messages in media

Al Jazeera  

El Salvador’s Congress has approved a request by President Nayib Bukele to criminalise gang-related messages in the media, including news outlets, in a step to control the rising cases of homicides in the Latin American nation. The measure also targets those who “mark” their territories with acronyms, referring to a common practice gang members use to threaten those who report …

Abortion ruling eliminates hurdles for Colombian women
2 years, 10 months ago

Abortion ruling eliminates hurdles for Colombian women

Associated Press  

BOGOTA, Colombia — From the first day of her pregnancy, the Colombian woman was fainting. Colombia’s Constitutional Court this week ruled that women can get abortions until the 24th week of their pregnancy without any permits from lawyers or doctors, removing almost insurmountable hurdles for getting the procedure legally. It said the decision to give birth or not is “a …

Explained: Why Colombia’s abortion law is a historic moment for women in Latin America and where do other countries stand
2 years, 10 months ago

Explained: Why Colombia’s abortion law is a historic moment for women in Latin America and where do other countries stand

Firstpost  

Colombia’s constitutional court decriminalised abortions within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, making it the fifth country in the region to make the practice more accessible and safer “We celebrate this ruling as a historic victory for the women’s movement in Colombia that has fought for decades for the recognition of their rights.” Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, …

Salvadoran women tell of unjust treatment under abortion law
2 years, 10 months ago

Salvadoran women tell of unjust treatment under abortion law

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The four women all had sought medical help for obstetric emergencies, and each ended up in prison sentenced to 30 years on aggravated homicide convictions for allegedly terminating their pregnancies. “I had just turned 17 years old and they locked me up,” said Kenia, who like the other three women gave only her first name. …

El Salvador frees three women convicted of abortions
3 years ago

El Salvador frees three women convicted of abortions

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — President Nayib Bukele’s government has freed three Salvadoran women who were sentenced to 30 years in prison under the nation’s strict anti-abortion laws after suffering obstetric emergencies, according to abortion rights groups. The three are among at least 17 Salvadoran women activists consider unjustly convicted and imprisoned following obstetric emergencies and who have been at …

Abortion ban: El Salvador frees women jailed after miscarriages
3 years ago

Abortion ban: El Salvador frees women jailed after miscarriages

Al Jazeera  

The women had been jailed for terms ranging from six to 13 years under some of the region’s harshest anti-abortion laws. Authorities in El Salvador have freed three women who spent between six and 13 years in jail under the country’s harsh anti-abortion laws after suffering miscarriages, a rights group has reported. The women had lost their fetuses due to …

Chile: Congress takes step toward abortion decriminalization
3 years, 3 months ago

Chile: Congress takes step toward abortion decriminalization

Associated Press  

SANTIAGO, Chile — The lower house of Chile’s Congress took a step toward decriminalizing abortion in most cases Tuesday, voting to craft a law barring prosecution of women who get abortions in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. Decriminalization of abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy would protect women from seeking the procedure in possibly unsafe conditions, said …

Protesters demand abortion rights across Latin America
3 years, 3 months ago

Protesters demand abortion rights across Latin America

Al Jazeera  

Thousands of women joined demonstrations across Latin America to demand abortion rights in their countries, marking the Global Day of Action for access to legal, safe and free abortion. Large groups of demonstrators gathered in the Chilean capital Santiago, where the Congress has agreed to hold future debates on an abortion rights law. Dozens gathered outside Peru’s Palace of Justice, …

Chile takes ‘first step’ towards decriminalising abortion
3 years, 3 months ago

Chile takes ‘first step’ towards decriminalising abortion

Al Jazeera  

Proposed bill to legalise abortion up to 14 weeks hailed by Chilean legislator as ‘tremendous’ step for women’s rights. Chile’s lower house of Congress has approved a plan to debate a bill that would expand women’s access to legal abortions, a “first step” that could see the country join a small but growing list of Latin American countries that are …

Across Latin America, abortion restrictions are being loosened
3 years, 4 months ago

Across Latin America, abortion restrictions are being loosened

LA Times  

Thousands of pro-choice activists, including feminist groups from the U.S. and Chile, wave their iconic green handkerchiefs outside Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Feb. 19, 2020. A historic ruling by Mexico’s Supreme Court last week is the latest in a series of victories for abortion rights advocates in Latin America, a largely Roman Catholic region that has long had …

Ecuador at critical crossroads in push for abortion rights
3 years, 5 months ago

Ecuador at critical crossroads in push for abortion rights

Al Jazeera  

In the largely conservative nation, women can be sentenced to up to two years in prison for having an abortion. Ban on abortion Carla’s story mirrors many contained in a report released last week by Human Rights Watch that exposes the effect of Ecuador’s abortion ban, one of the harshest in Latin America. “The criminalisation of abortion has a devastating …

Salvadoran woman freed from jail after 30-year abortion sentence
3 years, 7 months ago

Salvadoran woman freed from jail after 30-year abortion sentence

CNN  

A Salvadoran woman who had served nearly a third of her 30-year prison sentence on charges of terminating her pregnancy and violating El Salvador’s harsh abortion ban was released on Monday, activists said. Instead she was unjustly imprisoned for nine years.” Her release from a jail in Zacatecoluca, 35 miles southeast of capital San Salvador, was initially ordered a week …

Salvadoran woman jailed for suspected abortion released
3 years, 7 months ago

Salvadoran woman jailed for suspected abortion released

Al Jazeera  

Sara Rogel had been sentenced to a 30-year jail term for an abortion-related crime in El Salvador. Women’s rights advocates have welcomed the release of a woman in El Salvador who was sentenced to a lengthy prison term for a suspected abortion, in a case that has drawn international attention to the South American nation’s strict abortion ban. “If El …

Ecuador abortion rights victory hailed as latest in ‘tidal wave’
3 years, 8 months ago

Ecuador abortion rights victory hailed as latest in ‘tidal wave’

Al Jazeera  

Advocates say court ruling that decriminalises abortion in rape cases is an important step, but struggle continues. Quito, Ecuador – Women’s rights advocates have hailed a recent court ruling that will ease restrictions on abortion in cases of rape in Ecuador, the latest country in Latin America to be swept up in the “green wave” abortion rights movement. Dominican women’s …

International court could press El Salvador to change abortion ban
3 years, 8 months ago

International court could press El Salvador to change abortion ban

LA Times  

About seven months into her pregnancy, Manuela passed out at her family home in a rural part of Morozán in northeast El Salvador. Some banners at events like International Women’s Day say “Manuela justicia y esperanza” — Manuela justice and hope. The documents detailing Manuela’s sentencing stated that she had the “ability to choose between having, taking care of it …

Honduras hardened its abortion ban. These women remain undeterred
3 years, 11 months ago

Honduras hardened its abortion ban. These women remain undeterred

Al Jazeera  

In the days since the Congress of Honduras hardened its absolute prohibition of abortion, the ranks of a feminist organisation that has been campaigning for decriminalisation in the staunchly conservative nation have been swelling. “In Honduras, there are women who have miscarriages, and they’re too afraid to look for help because the only thing they hear is that abortion is …

Argentina’s abortion law enters force under watchful eyes
3 years, 11 months ago

Argentina’s abortion law enters force under watchful eyes

Associated Press  

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina’s groundbreaking abortion law went into force Sunday under the watchful eyes of women’s groups and government officials, who hope to ensure its full implementation despite opposition from some conservative and church groups. “Another huge task lies ahead of us,” said Argentina’s minister of women, gender and diversity, Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta, who has acknowledged there will …

Argentina's Abortion Law Enters Force Under Watchful Eyes
3 years, 11 months ago

Argentina's Abortion Law Enters Force Under Watchful Eyes

News 18  

Argentinas groundbreaking abortion law goes into force Sunday under the watchful eyes of women’s groups and government officials, who hope to ensure its full implementation despite opposition from some conservative and church groups. Argentina became the largest nation in Latin America to legalize elective abortion after its Senate on Dec. 30 passed a law guaranteeing the procedure up to the …

Argentina’s abortion law enters force under watchful eyes
3 years, 11 months ago

Argentina’s abortion law enters force under watchful eyes

The Hindu  

Argentina’s groundbreaking abortion law goes into force January 24 under the watchful eyes of women’s groups and government officials, who hope to ensure its full implementation despite opposition from some conservative and church groups. “Another huge task lies ahead of us,” said Argentina’s Minister of Women, Gender and Diversity, Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta, who has acknowledged there will be obstacles to …

Salvadoran activists hurl confetti, paint to protest new abortion trial
5 years, 4 months ago

Salvadoran activists hurl confetti, paint to protest new abortion trial

The Hindu  

Activists in El Salvador threw eggs filled with confetti and sprayed red paint outside the attorney general's office on Monday to a protest a decision to seek a third trial for a woman accused of killing her stillborn son. The activists were protesting a decision to seek a third trial of Evelyn Hernandez, who was exonerated at an August retrial …

Raped, miscarried, arrested: Inside El Salvador’s ‘outrageous’ state-sponsored persecution of vulnerable women
5 years, 4 months ago

Raped, miscarried, arrested: Inside El Salvador’s ‘outrageous’ state-sponsored persecution of vulnerable women

The Independent  

Sign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features Get the Independent Women email for free Get the Independent Women email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Guillen, who is also a director at the Women’s Equality Centre, says this case is even …

Latin American abortion rights activists warn against draconian US laws: ‘I have seen what is it like to live with a total ban’
5 years, 7 months ago

Latin American abortion rights activists warn against draconian US laws: ‘I have seen what is it like to live with a total ban’

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Campaigners in Honduras, one of five nations in …

Alabama’s new abortion ban will destroy the lives of countless women
5 years, 8 months ago

Alabama’s new abortion ban will destroy the lives of countless women

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Exactly a …

El Salvador frees three women convicted for suspected abortions
5 years, 10 months ago

El Salvador frees three women convicted for suspected abortions

Al Jazeera  

Court commutes sentences of three women who say they were prosecuted after suffering miscarriages, obstetric emergencies Ilopango, El Salvador – Alba Lorena Rodriguez embraced her 11- and 14-year-old daughters as a free woman for the first time in nearly a decade on Thursday. Two other women sentenced for suspected abortions – Maria del Transito Orellana, and Cinthia Marcela Rodriguez – …

Brazil’s top court wrestles with abortion at special hearing
6 years, 5 months ago

Brazil’s top court wrestles with abortion at special hearing

Associated Press  

RIO DE JANEIRO — Supporters and opponents of legalizing abortion testified Friday in front of Brazil’s top court, an extraordinary session at a time when strengthening women’s movements are pushing against often decades-old laws in South America. In Brazil, a deeply conservative nation that is home to the world’s largest population of Catholics and fast-growing evangelical faiths, abortion is illegal …

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