|
ABOUT LAS 17
El Salvador has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, with abortion criminalized in all cases, even when the woman’s life or health is at risk, or in cases of rape or incest. One of the most serious consequences of the total ban is the incarceration and wrongful imprisonment of numbers of women who have suffered pregnancy-related complications and miscarriages.Such is the case of Las 17, 17 women who, upon accessing healthcare facilities as a result of miscarriages, stillbirths, or other life-threatening obstetrical complications, were accused of having undergone an abortion, charged with aggravated homicide, and received prison sentences of up to 40 years. All of these women were presumed guilty rather than innocent, were refused a standard of reasonable doubt, and were denied their rights to due process. As of today, 15 of Las 17 are still in prison, while additional women are incarcerated and on trial, facing similar charges and sentences. While we celebrated an important victory on 21 January 2015, where the Congress of El Salvador approved the pardon of Guadalupe by a razor-thin number of 43 votes, we recently learned that the remaining pardon requests for Las 17 will soon be denied.
We are now at a critical juncture where it is integral that these and other Salvadoran women do not lose hope, and that the international community continues to call on El Salvador to uphold its human rights commitments, repeal its restrictive laws, and free all women jailed for pregnancy complications.
In honour of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2015, we invite all members, partners, and allies to send us your “Words of Hope” through postcards and letters, which we will forward to the remaining Las 17 and other incarcerated women on 1 April 2015, marking one year since the original requests for their pardon.
|
