May 25, 2013 -- Updated 1333 GMT (2133 HKT)
A woman in El Salvador has become a flashpoint in the country's debate
on abortion. Her life is in danger if her pregnancy goes full term, but
abortion is illegal with no exceptions, women's rights groups say. FULL STORY
Ill woman at center of abortion debate in El Salvador
May 23, 2013 -- Updated 1724 GMT (0124 HKT)
A
woman participates in a march on the International Day of Action for the
Decriminalization of Abortion, on September 28, 2012 in San Salvador
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- A woman known as Beatriz is pregnant and suffering from illnesses
- She wants an abortion to help save her life
- But abortions are illegal in El Salvador in all circumstances
- The Supreme Court is debating the case
The life of the woman,
known only as "Beatriz," is in danger if the pregnancy goes full term,
but abortion is illegal in El Salvador with no exceptions, women's
rights groups say.
Anti-abortion groups
counter that Beatriz is being used by abortion-rights advocates as an
opening to push for changes to abortion laws.
Beatriz's case is not the
first time that risk to a mother's life has created an abortion
controversy in Latin America and the Caribbean. Last year, a young woman
in the Dominican Republic was denied chemotherapy to treat her leukemia
for weeks because of the risk it posed to her unborn child. She
eventually began receiving treatment, but both she and her fetus died.
In Beatriz's case, she is
suffering from lupus and kidney problems, and her unborn child
developed without parts of its brain or skull. She asked for an abortion
so that doctors could focus on saving her life, but doctors are
hesitant to carry out the procedure without assurances that they won't
be prosecuted.
The country's Supreme
Court has taken up the case, but it has deliberated for weeks without a
ruling, raising the ire of the groups that support Beatriz.
"We are outraged at their
abdication of their role to protect and defend Beatriz's life and
health," said Esther Major, Central America researcher for Amnesty
International. "There is no justice in this delay, and definitely no
humanity."
Beatriz is now 24 weeks pregnant.
Although she is at the
center of a national debate over abortion, Beatriz has declined to give
interviews. Her mother, however, has spoken to the press.
"If this baby is born
both (mother and child) could die, and they tell me that the baby would
survive just six hours if it is born," the mother said.
Beatriz argues that an abortion could save her life, and allow her to care for her other child, who is a year old.
"The fetus will die
because it is not healthy, and so we have to decide that we must save
Beatriz's life because there is another child who needs her," said
Blanca Lopez of the Salvadoran Women's Union.
Opponents of abortion have not been silent on the issue.
"I think that a great
debate has been created using Beatriz, using her problem to promote the
legalization of abortion," said Regina de Cardenal of the country's Yes
to Life Foundation.
Although the doctors who are treating Beatriz recommended an abortion, others in the medical field disagree.
"Unfortunately, lupus is
an incurable disease, and there is no reason to lie to the public,"
said Miguel Fortin of the Institute of Legal Medicine. "Beatriz will not
get better if her pregnancy is terminated. The pregnancy is a temporary
condition but the lupus will remain."
The country's health
minister has indicated that the government supports an abortion, but
that it is up to the Supreme Court to decide.
With each passing week, the debate is more intense as the health of the mother and fetus are weighed.
If the Supreme Court does not act quickly, Beatriz may travel to another country where she can get an abortion, her mother said.
"If here in this country they don't allow her what she has asked for, that would be a possibility," she said.
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