A court’s decision to postpone the hearing of a woman forced to spend a decade behind bars after having a stillbirth in El Salvador is an outrageous and careless act, Amnesty International said.
“Teodora has waited 10 years to be before the court that sent her to prison for a stillbirth in 2007, but the judges were not ready to make the decision to undo this utter injustice,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.
“Instead of punishing Teodora for being a woman, authorities in El Salvador must urgently take a hard look at their outrageous anti-abortion law and take immediate steps to repeal it.”
Teodora suffered a stillbirth in 2007, after the rapid onset of serious pain while she was at work. Police arrested her as she lay in a pool of blood. She was later sentenced to 30 years for ‘aggravated homicide’ under El Salvador’s total ban on abortion.
Her case was reviewed by the court today, but it decided to postpone the decision until Wednesday, December 13.
Read more:
El Salvador: Release of woman jailed after miscarriage, a victory for human rights (News, 20 May 2016)
El Salvador: Release of woman jailed after miscarriage, a victory for human rights
El Salvador’s total abortion ban sentences children and families to trauma and poverty (News/report, 30 November 2015)
El Salvador’s total abortion ban sentences children and families to trauma and poverty
For more information please contact: Elizabeth Berton-Hunter, Media Relations 416-363-9933 ext 332 bberton-hunter@amnesty.ca
