El Salvador: Women jailed for miscarriages
Women in El Salvador used to be allowed to have abortions in cases of rape, or if the health of the baby or the mother were at risk. But in 1998, a new law enacted under a conservative government completely outlawed it.
El Salvador is not the only country in Latin America to have such strict laws, but it is particularly strict in enforcing them.
Doctors have to inform the authorities if they think a woman has tried to end her pregnancy. If they fail to report such cases, they, too, could face long sentences in jail.
The result is what human rights groups are calling a criminalisation of miscarriages and medical emergencies.
The BBC's Katy Watson reports from El Salvador.
28 Apr 2015
- From the section Latin America & Caribbean