All over the world, women took to the streets last March 8. In the capital of El Salvador, San Salvador, thousands of women also protested against the extremely rigid abortion laws in their country: abortions are banned without exception.
Report by our National Coordinator El Salvador, Sandra Ramirez from San Salvador
As in many other countries, thousands of women took to the streets in El Salvador on March 8 to make very specific demands. The colorful demonstration with banners, drum music, performances and speeches led through the city center to the parliament building. The central demand was a reform of abortion law. El Salvador has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world. Abortion is prohibited under all circumstances and can be punished with a prison sentence of 30 to 40 years. Despite this, a large number of clandestine abortions take place, exposing women to great health risks, some of which can be fatal. A broad alliance of women’s rights organizations in the country has drawn up a proposal for changes to the law.
Impunity in special situations
At the demonstration, they reiterated their demand that abortion should be exempt from punishment in four specific situations: if the mother’s life is at risk, if the pregnancy is the result of rape, if the foetus is not viable and, in the case of minors, if the pregnancy is the result of sexual violence and the legal guardians consent to an abortion. One of the banners summed it up well: “The girls in El Salvador deserve a better life than prison or an unwanted pregnancy.”
Women’s Day still important
International Women’s Day has been celebrated for more than 100 years and has not lost its significance to this day. These days, women’s rights are threatened by reactionary and right-wing populist politics in many countries around the world. Women around the world are fighting back against this. The Womens March in Washington in January showed the mobilizing power of women’s movements. They represent a global opposition to backward-looking forces.
