The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. March 11, 2022 Guatemalan President Rejects Bill Banning Marriage Equality and Increasing Penalty for Abortion ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In a surprise reversal, Guatemala's conservative president Alejandro Giammattei came out against a recently passed bill increasing penalties for abortions and banning same-sex marriage. President Alejandro Giammattei: "I have decided that if that law reaches my office it will be vetoed. … It violates two conventions to which Guatemala is a signatory. Its wording has technical deficiencies, and furthermore it violates the Republic's political constitution." Guatemala's Congress had approved the bill on Tuesday - International Women's Day. It would increase prison sentences for people who have an abortion to 10 years. .