<\body> Stories in America: Pro-Life Nation

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Pro-Life Nation

The Prison: Salvadoran women who have had abortions could end up here. (Donna Ferrato/NYT)


The Incarcerated: Carla Herrara, 11, clutches pictures of her mother, Carmen Climaco, who was given 30 years for an abortion that was ruled a homicide. (Donna Ferrato/NYT)

I promised myself I would give my computer a rest this weekend, but I could not resist logging on knowing that this article about El Salvador's extreme anti-abortion laws (South Dakota is not far behind) was running in today's NY Times Magazine. It is a must read. Be sure to check out the photographs. Please forward it far and wide:
Today, Article 1 of El Salvador's constitution declares that the prime directive of government is to protect life from the "very moment of conception." The penal code detailing the Crimes Against the Life of Human Beings in the First Stages of Development provides stiff penalties: the abortion provider, whether a medical doctor or a back-alley practitioner, faces 6 to 12 years in prison. The woman herself can get 2 to 8 years. Anyone who helps her can get 2 to 5 years. Additionally, judges have ruled that if the fetus was viable, a charge of aggravated homicide can be brought, and the penalty for the woman can be 30 to 50 years in prison.
The South Dakota lawmakers who votd to ban abortions with no exceptions for rape and incest still refuse to discuss the ramifications for women who decide to break the law and have an illegal abortion.

2 Comments:

At 4/09/2006 8:48 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why has it taken so long for this story to be written? This is a powerful, frightening piece of journalism. Is this what's to come in the United States?

 
At 4/12/2006 4:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hmmm, the government of El Salvador passed a law that mandates that it must protect life from the very moment of conception, yet mothers who are suffering from ectopic pregnancies are left to die when their Fallopian tubes rupture because the government refuses to destroy the doomed zygote/embryo that it has been sworn to protect? If they are saving the unborn child at all costs, then why are they not trying to save the mother's life as well? Oh wait, it's because this new law to "protect life from the moment of conception" only applies to pre-born fetuses. Fully developed human beings who are already born obviously don't count. They're just shit out of luck. This is scary stuff. Placing a greater status and importance of a microscopic embryo over that of a fully grown human being is nothing less than complete and utter insanity, pure and simple.

 

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