These Lawmakers Saw What Criminalizing Abortion Looks Like. They Were Horrified.

[Judi Lynn]

Dec 4, 2019, 11:04am Jo Yurcaba

Criminalizing abortion in El Salvador means people go to prison for miscarrying. Abortion rights advocates fear this could become a reality in the United States.

Five Democratic legislators from states hostile to abortion rights visited El Salvador recently to see the effect of the country’s abortion ban on people’s health and lives.

El Salvador officials banned abortion in all circumstances in 1998. Since then at least 150 people have been prosecuted for having or trying to have an abortion, said Paula Avila-Guillen, a lawyer at the New York-based Women’s Equality Center who represents women accused of crimes under El Salvador’s ban.

The Democratic legislators who visited El Salvador were Alabama Rep. Merika Coleman (Birmingham), Ohio Rep. Stephanie Howse (Cleveland), Florida Rep. Cindy Polo (Miami), Arizona Rep. Raquel Terán (Phoenix), and Georgia state Sen. Nikema Williams (Atlanta). Many are lawmakers in states where Republican-majority legislatures tried to ban abortion in 2019. Near-total abortion bans—outlawing the procedure before many know they are pregnant—passed this year in states across the South and Midwest.

More:
https://rewire.news/article/2019/12/04/these-lawmakers-saw-what-criminalizing-abortion-looks-like-they-were-horrified/

[Girard442]

1. Imprisoning women who miscarry is just the beginning.

Imagine having an ectopic pregnancy which is about to kill you, but the doctor "fails" to diagnose it because an accurate diagnosis means the pregnancy has to be terminated which will then embroil the doctor in nasty litigation. Much better if you die suddenly and mysteriously through "God's will."

No problemo for the doctor. You're dead.

[tymorial]

2. This is really really scary

My wife had a failed pregnancy twice. Both times the pregnancy needed to be terminated. It was heartbreaking and soul-crushing for both of us. I hold no Illusions to the fact that I'm certain it was even worse for her. To think that she would potentially have charges filed against her is... honestly I don't think there is a word strong enough to express their revulsion that I feel about this.

We finally did have our baby girl he'll quite frankly was a miracle we were told it was never going to happen. Still I kept the ultrasounds from our son. I can't bear to look at them but I know that he was saved from terrible pain and a horrible death if he managed to make it to term. Compassion sometimes requires mercy and I feel and will always feel that termination was a merciful act out of love.