Castro Op-Ed in The Hill: “The Foreign Policy Case for Decriminalizing Abortion in El Salvador”
Washington, D.C.—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and First Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, authored an op-ed in The Hill today making the foreign policy case for decriminalizing abortion in El Salvador:
A preview of the op-ed can be found below, with a full version available here.
“For nearly two decades, El Salvador has criminalized abortion in all circumstances imposing harsh penalties, including incarceration, for women. With women’s rights groups in El Salvador urging lawmakers to allow exceptions to the ban in certain circumstances, this could soon all change. The Salvadoran Commission of Legislation and Constitutional Issues has the opportunity to vote on two reform proposals that would decriminalize abortion. Here’s the foreign policy case for doing so.
“In October 2016, a group of Salvadoran congresswomen introduced an amendment to the penal code that would allow women to access safe and legal abortion services when pregnancy poses a risk to their health or life or in cases of rape, incest and fatal fetal impairments. The amendment received wide support from international human rights organizations and the Alliance for the Health and Life of Women (La Alianza por la Salud y la Vida de las Mujeres)—a coalition of more than 20 of Salvadoran women’s rights groups including the Citizen’s Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion (La Agrupación Ciudadana).
“Almost a year later, another amendment was proposed to lift the total abortion ban in two specific circumstances: when a woman’s life or health is in danger and the rape of minors. Both bills are pending consideration within the Salvadoran Commission of Legislation and Constitutional Issues before it goes to the full Congress for further discussion and a final vote,” Congressman Castro wrote.
The Congressman continued: “El Salvador is at a critical moment when there is a real opportunity to reform the country’s abortion law. Such a move would serve to improve El Salvador’s human rights record, address a human and public health crisis, and prevent the wrongful incarceration of Salvadoran women.
“Women’s rights are human rights too. No woman should ever face imprisonment because of a miscarriage or a stillbirth. I am encouraged to see the Assembly consider reforming this law, and my hope is that Salvadoran lawmakers choose the right side of history.”
Read the full version here.
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