Salvador: Congress rejects any change in abortion law

Woman demonstrating to demand the decriminalization of abortion, in San Salvador, September 28, 2021 (Image illustration).

Marvin Recinos AFP / Archivos

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In El Salvador, Congress has rejected any changes to its abortion law, which prohibits it in all cases.

Women who abort risk up to eight years in prison, sometimes up to 50 years when the prosecution and judges consider it an " 

 ".

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The reform, proposed in September by women's rights associations, called for decriminalization in three cases: to save the life of the mother, when the fetus is not viable, or in the case of rape of children, of adolescent girls and women.

73 deputies out of 84 voted against the reform proposal, this is the fourth time since 1988 that Congress has refused to decriminalize abortion.

El Salvador is one of the four Latin American countries that bans it without exception, along with Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. 

►Also read: Abortion: the Inter-American Court of Human Rights seizes the case of Manuela, Salvadoran who died in prison

The deputies who voted against speak of "genocide", some ask for heavier penalties against those who abort.

Today in El Salvador, more than 40 women are serving sentences of 10 to 30 years in prison for having aborted.

In this country of 7 million inhabitants, each year, 25,000 women become pregnant after being raped and thousands of illegal abortions are performed.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has already requested that the sentences of these women be reviewed, without success.

"

 ", lamented one of the few deputies to have, this Wednesday, October 20 , voted for the law to change.

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• Salvador

• Womens rights