‘I don't feel safe': Guatemalans denounce anti-abortion law
-
Loading... - Thomas Bourgeois
- 18 Mar 2022
- 363 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Guatemala City, Guatemala – With chants of “this pro-life government doesn’t value our lives”, hundreds of people during the weekend converged on the Guatemalan Congress to show their indignation at a new law they say threatens the rights of women and members of the LGBTQ community.
On March 8, while hundreds were commemorating International Women’s Day, Guatemala’s conservative-controlled Congress approved the “Protection of Life and Family” law in a 101-8 vote. There are 160 seats in Congress.
The legislation labels LGBTQ people “abnormal” and prohibits the prosecution of anyone who carries out a hate crime against the community. It declares a family as one involving a married man and woman, outlaws same-sex marriage, and restricts the ability of schools or other educational institutions to provide inclusive sexual education outside of the nuclear family.
Abortion is already illegal in Guatemala – with the only exception being if a pregnancy threatens the mother’s life – but the law also increases the penalty for women who undergo the procedure, whether induced by a doctor or due to a miscarriage.
“With the increase in these restrictive policies and legal initiatives, they put the LGBT+ population and women in a situation of high risk,” Homero Fuentes, a 33-year-old activist with LGBTQ rights group Visibles, told Al Jazeera.
“These [initiatives and laws] allow hate speech to continue to be promoted,” he said. “This materialises in a scenario of discrimination, of violence, and to the point of [violent] crimes.”
Conservative nation
A day after the law was approved, Guatemala’s conservative President Alejandro Giammattei held a ceremony to declare the Central American nation “the pro-life capital of Iberoamerica”. Congress had already declared March 9 “the day to celebrate family and life”.Read More...
