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Young woman who had an abortion in El Salvador is sentenced to 50 years in prison

A Salvadoran court has sentenced a 21-year-old woman who had an abortion after an obstetric emergency to 50 years in prison for the crime of aggravated murder, an organization that defends her said Monday. El Salvador is one of the countries with some of the strictest laws against abortion.

According to the report by the Citizens Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion, on the night of June 17, 2020, the woman, identified as Lesly Ramírez, had an emergency while at her home and that the situation led to her having a childbirth. her fetus of about five months.

The 19-year-old’s family and neighbors called the police to take her to a public hospital in the department of San Miguel, the NGO said.

On June 26, 2020, an investigating judge ordered Ramírez’s provisional arrest, despite her not being present at the hearing due to her delicate health condition. In the middle of last week, a court sentenced her to 50 years in prison for the crime of aggravated murder.

“Women’s organizations reject the court decision and will appeal. This is the first time in history that the maximum penalty has been applied since abortion was absolutely criminalized,” the feminist organization said in a statement.

The Prosecutor’s Office, however, argued in a statement that the severe penalty was imposed because the young woman murdered the newborn after inflicting multiple neck wounds with a knife.

Although in recent years there has been an advance of the “green tide” in Latin America in search of access to legal and safe abortion, the procedure, without restriction of reasons, is only allowed in a few countries.

Along with Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic, El Salvador is one of four Latin American countries that prohibit abortion without exception.

Source: CNN Brasil

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