New York Times Letter to the Editor: ‘Beatriz’ of El Salvador, Denied a Lifesaving Abortion
To the Editor: Re “Salvador Court Denies Abortion to Ailing Woman, Citing Strict Prohibition” (news article, May 30) and “A Salvadoran at Risk Tests Abortion Law” (front page, May 29):
The consequences of absolute abortion bans couldn’t be clearer than the potentially fatal circumstances facing “Beatriz,” a Salvadoran woman recently denied a lifesaving abortion by her own country’s Supreme Court.
The Salvadoran court’s refusal to allow a medical procedure that could save Beatriz’s life is a disgraceful violation of her fundamental human rights.
Unfortunately, Beatriz’s story isn’t unique. El Salvador’s ban has not only resulted in the denial of medically necessary abortions for women like Beatriz who desperately need them, but also in the wrongful imprisonment of far too many women who suffered miscarriages or obstetric complications.
Salvadoran women have been paying an unacceptably high price for El Salvador’s abortion ban. And should some United States politicians get their way, American women could face equally dire circumstances as a result of extreme abortion bans. Wherever they live, women should never be subjected to such cruel and inhumane treatment.
Read this Letter to the Editor on the New York Times website >,