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May 17, 2013

Woman in El Salvador Asks Supreme Court for Life-Saving Abortion 
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A 22-year-old woman in El Salvador has asked the Supreme Court to save
her life by granting her access to an abortion. Abortion is banned in El
Salvador even when the mother’s life is danger. More than 600 women
have been jailed there for having abortions over the past 15 years. The
woman, who uses the pseudonym "Beatriz," suffers from lupus and kidney
problems that her doctors say could kill her if she cannot end her
pregnancy. Moreover, the fetus is missing major parts of the brain and
would almost certainly die after birth. The case of Beatriz has drawn
international attention with tens of thousands petitioning the
government of El Salvador to save her. This is Beatriz.

Beatriz: "I want to live, and I ask them to do it, from my heart, to do
it. The doctors in the hospital, they have all been very nice to me.
They're also worried for my life. They also want to do it, but they
can't, because they're afraid they will be arrested."

 

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