Teen from El Salvador may be pardoned from 30-year sentence for having a miscarriage  

All forms of abortion are illegal in El Salvador, whether the abortion was intentional or not. Because of this, a woman can be put in jail if she has a miscarriage from natural causes.

Guadalupe is one such woman. She was imprisoned when she was only 18 years old when complications with her second pregnancy led to a miscarriage. She was working as a housekeeper for a well-heeled Salvadoran family, who rushed her to the nearest hospital after she collapsed on the job. Unfortunately for Guadalupe, the nearest hospital happened to be the San Bartolo National Hospital, a public health clinic.

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As soon as the doctors saw her, they called the police. They had no evidence that Guadalupe had intentionally terminated her pregnancy but this did not stop them from interrogating her on her hospital bed without a lawyer. They arrested her on suspicion of murder and sentenced her to 30 years in jail.

Guadalupe is not alone. Dozens of women, mostly young and all poor, are put behind bars for the same reason every year in El Salvador because of the incredibly strict anti-abortion laws, some would say the strictest in the world. Authorities are hell-bent on applying these laws with no exceptions.

SEE ALSO: Argentina’s abortion battle pushes women into legal labyrinth

However, there is hope. Certain government authorities are beginning to realize how illogical and mad these laws really are. Today is the 23^rd anniversary of El Salvador’s Peace Accords so Congress will vote on a resolution to pardon Guadalupe, who has already served 8 years of her sentence. The vote would be a major victory for Central America’s feminist movement.

“Guadalupe could be released from jail as early as next week,” Salvadoran feminist leader and former FMLN guerrilla fighter Morena Herrera told Fusion in a phone interview. “This represents new hope for us. Now we’re going to have to fight to get pardons for the others on a case by case basis.”

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