End the total ban on abortion in El Salvador
Imagine ending up in jail for having an abortion, or even a miscarriage.
In El Salvador, it doesn't matter if you're pregnant as a result of rape, or whether the pregnancy is a risk to your life: abortion is banned in all cases.
If you're found guilty of having an abortion, or helping someone have one, you could be imprisoned for up to 12 years. Even if you have a miscarriage but the state suspects you had an abortion, you could later be charged with aggravated homicide and up to 50 years in jail!
El Salvador's total ban on abortion is destroying the lives of women and girls.
With no proper education on sex and relationships, and obstacles to accessing contraception, El Salvador has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Latin America. And more than half of all deaths of pregnant teens are due to suicide.
Act now and call on El Salvador to end the total ban on abortion.
Dear President Salvador Sánchez Cerén,
El Salvador's total ban on abortion is a serious human rights violation. Under the abortion ban, women and girls found guilty of terminating their pregnancies face jail sentences of up to eight years. Those who have miscarriages may be charged with aggravated homicide and jailed for up to 50 years, because they too are suspected of having clandestine abortions.
Prejudice, unsafe evidence, and lack of effective legal defence are some of the common denominators in these women's flawed prosecutions and trials, the product of a hostile environment against women's human rights.
We call on the Legislative assembly to change the law and to immediately and unconditionally release all women and girls who have been imprisoned for having abortions or miscarriages. This includes those convicted of abortion, homicide and aggravated homicide.
[Your comments here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
