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[Makonero]

The nightmare started in November 2011 in San Salvador, El Salvador. It was the night before my son's elementary school graduation and I went to bed late preparing food and ironing his outfit. A few hours later I woke up with stomach cramps. I went to the outhouse because I felt like I needed to go poo-poo. I just remember feeling like something in my stomach collapsed. When I went to clean myself I noticed I was bleeding. I walked back to the house and my mother-in-law called the ambulance for help. I was losing blood and it took so long to get me to the hospital that I fainted. I don't remember anything after that.

When I woke up in the hospital, there were already police officers guarding the room. The officers asked me where my son was. I was confused and didn't know what they were talking about. They were accusing me of killing my son. Later I realized they were accusing me of having an abortion. El Salvador is one of six countries in the world that have a blanket ban on abortions.

I didn't know I was pregnant. I kept getting my period and my stomach didn't grow. I told the officers I hadn't killed anyone.

I was told I was under arrest for aggravated homicide and was handcuffed to the hospital bed so that I wouldn't escape, police officers told me. I asked them to take blood samples and all the tests they needed to take. But the doctors didn't do any of that. There's no scientific evidence.

I was in jail the next morning. I was still sick and recovering in the jail. There were so many women in my cell that all we could do was stand. The cell was so overcrowded that the women took turns sleeping on the floor. They all stood for longer hours so I could remain lying down. The women took care of me. They even shared their food with me. At the holding jail where I was taken there's no food provided, so family members bring meals. My mother-in-law would bring me food, but I never got it. Then I was transferred to prison.

I missed my son's graduation. And then the next four and a half years of his life.

On March 20, the Swedish Migration Agency granted Rivera and her 12-year-old son political asylum. She is believed to be the first person in the world to be granted asylum for abortion persecution.

Read the rest here.

Horrifying. An example of what happens under a blanket ban for abortions.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

this is why I'm pro abortion

 

[SomTervo]

Jesus

 

[Chmpocalypse]

Absolutely infuriating.

To all the people in the other thread willing to put it up on the chopping block (you know who you are) - this is why you don't compromise on fundamental rights like women's body autonomy. It eventually leads to persecution and horror like this.

I will never sway on supporting that fundamental right.

 

[HStallion]

Anti Abortion advocates are the biggest hypocrites out there. Its not about life, or saving lives or anything like that. Its about control over others and nothing else, often in wantonly cruel and belligerent manner.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Absolutely infuriating.

To all the people in the other thread willing to put it up on the chopping block (you know who you are) - this is why you don't compromise on fundamental rights like women's body autonomy. It eventually leads to persecution and horror like this.

I will never sway on supporting that fundamental right.

This. What a brave woman. And what a shithole El Salvador is :/

 

[dallow_bg]

El Salvador has so many bigger problems to worry about. So stupid.

 

[Spiritual_Chaos]

the Swedish Migration Agency granted Rivera and her 12-year-old son political asylum

 

[Altazor]

Here in Chile we're currently in the midst of restoring women's rights over their body (also known as abortion rights). We had a law about it from 1931 onwards (!) that allowed abortion under certain circumstances... until it was struck down by the Pinochet dictatorship during the last years of its horrible regime. So now abortion in Chile is banned under any circumstance - that, obviously, doesn't mean they don't happen.

Upper class girls can get abortions at private clinics (they call 'em "appendicitis" so the clinic doesn't get into trouble by performing an illegal operation) but poorer girls are subject to downright dangerous surgeries performed by who the fuck knows. It's a health hazard, they are risking their health, their lives, just to get an abortion that doesn't cost them the money they could never hope to have.

Obviously our right-wing politicians don't want this to change. After all, they can use the "right to life is sacred!" excuse but there's also a big element of class advantage. They know their girls can get abortions done at quality private clinics, so they don't care if they're "technically" illegal - they'll get it done and never ever speak of it again (because OH THE HORROR that a catholic girl got pregnant before marriage, THE HORRIBLE UNSPEAKABLE SHAME) but the poors? It's their life, their burden and their mistake, so they gotta "deal with it".

Oh, and the current project to restore abortion rights in this country is restricted to the circumstances* women had in 1931 (!). We're not talking about a modern, cutting edge legislation - it's basic, early 20th Century stuff. And the right-wing still refuses and hopes to boycott the project. Bunch of misogynists.

*: those circumstances being A) pregnancy presents a significant health hazard to the mother's life, B) nonviable pregnancy and C) rape. Is that so unreasonable? To them right-wingers, it is. Fucking hell.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

El Salvador has so many bigger problems to worry about. So stupid.

Excuse me? Women being prosecuted and being sentenced to decades in prison (and not exactly sanitary and human rights-respect prisons either) for having miscarriages isn't a "big problem"? Are you for real?

Edit: see post below, I'm probably misunderstanding this post. At least I hope so!

 

[GoldenEye 007]

Excuse me? Women being prosecuted and being sentenced to decades in prison (and not exactly sanitary and human rights-respect prisons either) for having miscarriages isn't a "big problem"? Are you for real?

I expect the poster meant that they have more problems than worrying about why or when women get abortions. At least I'd hope.

 

[Muppet of a Man]

Religion which winds up infringing on women's rights (or anyone's rights for that matter) can go get fucked.

This is why separation of church and state is so important.

 

[ShyMel]

The trauma of being imprisoned for having a miscarriage when authorities believe you got an abortion sounds so nightmarish. Glad she received refugee status and can spend time with her child.

When countries ban abortion, they aren't going to stop women from having abortions. All those bans do is have women go through risky routes to get abortions.

 

[Derwind]

I've come to understand that there is almost no logical way to defend being anti-abortion. Bodily autonomy is a human right.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

I expect the poster meant that they have more problems than worrying about why or when women get abortions. At least I'd hope.

Oh, you're probably right! Sorry if I misunderstood, dallow.

 

[Always-honest]

Absolutely infuriating.

To all the people in the other thread willing to put it up on the chopping block (you know who you are) - this is why you don't compromise on fundamental rights like women's body autonomy. It eventually leads to persecution and horror like this.

I will never sway on supporting that fundamental right.

These people are bound to their ridiculous "opinions".
They're trapped by religion, tradition and stupidity.