El Salvador's total abortion ban lethal, says Amnesty

[Judi Lynn]

2. Twelve facts about the abortion ban in El Salvador

Twelve facts about the abortion ban in El Salvador
25 September 2014

El Salvador has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world. Abortion is totally banned in all circumstances and harsh prison sentences befall those accused of terminating a pregnancy.

Amnesty International’s new report, On the brink of death: Violence against women and the abortion ban in El Salvador, charts how these restrictive laws are destroying the lives of women and girls. It finds:

1. Women and girls found guilty of having an abortion face a prison sentence of two to eight years. Health care providers who assist them face up to 12 years in prison.

2. Women who have had miscarriages have been charged with aggravated homicide, a charge which can bring a sentence of up to 50 years in prison. Amnesty International has documented the cases of many women who have been sentenced to decades in prison after having a miscarriage.

3. El Salvador banned abortion in all circumstances in 1998.

4. Last year the National Civil Police recorded that 16 women and girls were charged with the crime of abortion, six of them were under 17 years old at the time of the alleged offences.

More:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/twelve-facts-about-abortion-ban-el-salvador-2014-09-25