Human Rights
Salvadoran women freed from jail after being sentenced for suspected abortion
Abortions under any circumstance are banned in El Salvador. Ending a pregnancy or being suspected of it comes with a sentence of up to eight years in jail.
February 23, 2022 2:02pm
Updated: February 23, 2022 6:04pm
Four women who sought medical help after suffering miscarriages and were sentenced to jail for aggravated homicide in El Salvador were freed on Thursday after spending a combined four decades in prison.
According to the human rights organization Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion in El Salvador (ACDATEE), the women had lost their babies during their pregnancy due to “health emergencies” and sought obstetric help.
One of the women, Kenia, suffered an obstetric emergency after falling in her house. Despite calling 911 for help, it did not arrive in time. When she came to, she was in a hospital bed surrounded by police and was suspected of purposefully causing an abortion. She spent nine years in prison.
“I had just turned 17 years old, and they locked me up,” said Kenia. “It was unjust. I lost my youth, I lost my family, all of my dreams came crashing down.”
Abortions under any circumstance are banned in El Salvador. Ending a pregnancy or being suspected of it comes with a sentence of up to eight years in jail. However, it is common for judges to sentence women who have undergone an abortion for aggravated homicide, which can lead to up to 50 years in prison, Aljazeera reported.
Under El Salvador’s harsh anti-abortion law, the four women were sentenced to 30 years in prison for aggravated homicide. However, after spending six to 13 years in prison, the women had their sentences for homicide commuted.
“It is a joy for all of us who have been fighting for the release of all women who have been unjustly imprisoned for suffering obstetric emergencies under this harsh and inhumane criminal law,” ACDATEE member Morena Herrera said.
El Salvador has criminally prosecuted around 181 women for obstetric emergencies, according to ACDATEE. Currently, fourteen other women are still in prison with similar sentences.
Human rights groups and campaigners are urging the government to legalize abortion in cases when there is a miscarriage, the mother’s life is in danger, or the pregnancy is due to rape.
