A woman in El Salvador has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for having an abortion. According to media reports, the woman was kept in custody during the pre-trial for two years and now she has been sentenced if found guilty. A woman named Esme has been sentenced by the court on charges of homicide. This decision has come at a time when there is a ruckus in the US over the possibility of changes in abortion rules. In fact, a case was filed in the US Supreme Court regarding this and the court’s stand is indicating that the rule which declares abortion as legal can be reversed.
The woman from El Salvador was arrested when she had gone to the hospital for medical help after an abortion. This sentence given in El Salvador is being discussed all over the world and human rights activists are telling it to take the world backward. International Human Rights Lawyer Paula Avila-Guélain said Esme’s punishment was sad and regressive. This will hurt the long struggle under which efforts were made for the empowerment of women.
It is worth noting that the effect of this decision can be seen in America as well. Protesters in the country are continuously demanding that women should be allowed to have abortions and it should not be considered as a legal crime. Women are demanding that abortion remain a legal option for women across the country. To ensure this, the protesters have vowed to continue fighting in support of it. Let us tell you that preparations are going on in America to ban abortion after 50 years. Recently, a part of the draft of the new abortion law was leaked in the Supreme Court, after which people are continuously protesting in many cities of America. Such a decision is being described as taking away the freedom of American women.