El Salvador abortion laws on trial in case of woman jailed after miscarriage
Demands for justice for Manuela, who died of cancer during 30-year sentence, taken to international court in country first
Joe Parkin Daniels
@joeparkdan
Fri 12 Mar 2021 02.15 EST
When Manuela, a 33-year-old mother of two from rural El Salvador, had a miscarriage in 2008, she did what most women would do: she went to hospital.
There she was handcuffed to her hospital bed, accused of having an abortion, and charged with aggravated homicide.
The authorities said Manuela – whose full name has never been made public in El Salvador – must have been guilty of killing her baby as the child was conceived outside marriage. They did not allow her to speak with a lawyer while she was being interrogated.
Manuela was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Around the same time she was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. Two years later, she died of her illness in prison.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/mar/12/el-salvador-abortion-laws-on-trial-in-case-of-woman-jailed-after-miscarriage
