Thread: Women Jailed For Homicide After Having Abortions

For all those here who think abortions would go down if it's banned.

Women Jailed For Homicide After Having Abortions
posted by: Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux





This is what happens when abortion is criminalized: the Latin American Herald Tribute reports that six women in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato are serving prison sentences of 25-30 years after being convicted of homicide for terminating their pregnancies. The women have served between three and eight years of their prison sentences, and activists are now working on their behalf to put in direct appeals to the federal judiciary.

Despite being largely illegal, Mexico's abortion rate is 40% higher than the United States'. In some states, abortion is permissible, while in others, like Guanajuato, it is a criminal offense, even in cases of rape. Recently, a woman serving a similar prison sentence was released after intercession by Centro Las Libres, an organization that provides assistance to the 160 women who are currently facing abortion-related charges. Of the seven cases, said Veronica Cruz, the organization's director, one abortion was spontaneous, two others were undertaken because of rape, and the others were the result of accidental pregnancies.

Guanajuato, which has, incidentally, the highest teen pregnancy rate in Mexico, refuses to teach sex education in its schools. It is also the only state in the country that refused to promulgate a federally-mandated law about gender violence. The province is thus lucky to have an organization like Centro Las Libres, although clearly, there should be no need for activist work on cases like these, which reflect a disregard for women's well-being and independence. The Guttmacher Institute noted, in a 2009 report on Mexico's high incidence of abortion, that the abortions that women do access are extremely unsafe - 17% of women who had an abortion in 2006 were treated in public hospitals for complications, compared to 0.3% of women in the U.S.

“The contrast between U.S. and Mexican abortion rates reflects a larger disparity in awareness of contraceptive methods and access to family planning services," explained Fatima Juarez, a senior fellow at the Guttmacher Institute. "The best way to make abortion less necessary is to help women avoid unwanted pregnancies in the first place by increasing access to a wide range of contraceptive methods."

And, obviously, jailing women for homicide once they have abortions is not going to encourage others to obtain safer procedures, or even to go to the hospital if they do have complications.

I'm not looking forward to the assholes on this forum applauding Mexican legal system.

Women that kill their babies with abortion should be summarily executed for crimes against humanity.

Originally Posted by Zef

Women that kill their babies with abortion should be summarily executed for crimes against humanity.

Does that include those whose pregnancies came from rape or incest or whose pregnancies endanger their lives?

Originally Posted by Animal

For all those here who think abortions would go down if it's banned.

Following your logic, murder should be OK as well because even though people go jail for it, murder still happens. The punishment is for violating the basic human rights of another human being. Suggesting that such violations should be legalized just because some will still do it is simply not a rational position.

Originally Posted by Animal

Does that include those whose pregnancies came from rape or incest or whose pregnancies endanger their lives?

Women have as much right to defend their lives as anyone else including terminating a pregnancy that represents an imminent threat to her life. In the case of rape, can you give a rational argument in favor of killing a child for the crime of its father?

Originally Posted by PaleRider

Women have as much right to defend their lives as anyone else including terminating a pregnancy that represents an imminent threat to her life. In the case of rape, can you give a rational argument in favor of killing a child for the crime of its father?

Can you give a rational argument for basically punishing a woman for the crime of her rapist by forcing her to carry the pregnancy he inflicted on her against her will?

Originally Posted by Animal

For all those here who think abortions would go down if it's banned.

Your a fucking idiot trying to compare such a corrupt ass backwards place like mexico with the United States. Yes the number of legal abortions would go down you frigen idiot as would just the overall number of abortions if harsh punishment was given out not only to those getting them but those who perform them or aid in any way.

Originally Posted by Animal

Can you give a rational argument for basically punishing a woman for the crime of her rapist by forcing her to carry the pregnancy he inflicted on her against her will?

You don't answer a question with a question moron, it only proves you have no damn arguement. hhhhhhhhhahahahahha

Originally Posted by 36shadow

You don't answer a question with a question moron, it only proves you have no damn arguement. hhhhhhhhhahahahahha

Would you be willing to adopt babies who'd otherwise be aborted? To make sure they get adequate care, food, shelter, clothing, schooling, healthcare? Or are you like so many pro-lifers who insist that the fetus be born, but once it's born give it a big "fuck off" because it might actually cost you something to sustain and nourish such life? It's called putting your money where your mouth is.

It never ceases to amuse me how neocons insist that the government can't even run the Post Office, can't do anything right with healthcare, the economy, or education except stay out, but that very same government is somehow qualified to decide who can marry or what a woman can do with her body.