Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 16 July 2019
Salvadoran accused of abortion faces retrial, hefty sentence

By MARCOS ALEMAN needs is immediate assis-
Associated Press tance."
SAN SALVADOR, El Salva- Women who turn up at
dor (AP) — A young wom- public hospitals following a
an who birthed a baby into miscarriage are sometimes
a toilet in El Salvador faces accused of having killed
a second trial for murder the fetus.
Monday in a case that has Recent public opinion polls
drawn international atten- in El Salvador show broad
tion because of the coun- support for more lenient
try's highly restrictive abor- abortion laws, such as al-
tion laws. lowing medical interven-
Evelyn Beatriz Hernández tions when a mother's life is
had already served 33 in danger or the fetus is not
months of her 30-year sen- viable. However, many Sal-
tence when the Supreme vadorans still believe rape
Court overturned the ruling victims should be obligated
against her in February and to carry out their pregnan-
ordered a new trial, with a cies.
new judge. This is the first re- An intervention on behalf
trial of an abortion case in of Hernández would show
a country that aggressively that Bukele is "interested in
pursues legal cases against the lives of women," said
women who have expe- In this Dec. 13, 2017 file photo, Teodora Vasquez, who was found guilty of what the court said was Deras. Morena Herrera,
an illegal abortion via a miscarriage, arrives in handcuffs to a courtroom to appeal her 30-year
rienced miscarriages and prison sentence, in San Salvador, El Salvador. who fights for women's re-
obstetric emergencies, ac- Associated Press productive rights in El Sal-
cusing them of murder. vador, also urged Bukele
Women's rights advocates an outhouse in a poor, ru- cause of death remains un- in what looks to be the first to raise his voice "in favor of
hope the new government ral community one day in clear. test for women's reproduc- Evelyn" so that the young
of President Nayib Bukele, 2016 with strong abdominal Both women insist they tive rights under Bukele, woman can get on with
who took office in June, will pains. She squatted to def- didn't know there was a who is young and has ex- her life.
soften the country's stance ecate, she says, and the baby in the septic tank. pressed disdain for all forms Bukele has not spoken pub-
on women's reproductive baby must have slid to the Prosecutors don't believe of discrimination. licly about the Hernández
rights — starting with an ac- bottom of the septic tank. them, though the Supreme Bukele has said he believes case.
quittal for Hernández. Doz- Evelyn's mother says she Court accepted defense abortion is only accept- El Salvador is one of three
ens of women have been found her daughter passed lawyers' argument that no able when the mother's life countries in Central Ameri-
jailed in El Salvador with out next to the makeshift proof had been presented is at risk but that he's "com- ca with total bans on abor-
similar convictions. toilet and hailed a pickup that Hernández caused the pletely against" criminaliz- tion, even in cases of rape
"What Evelyn is living is the truck to transport her to a baby's death. ing women who have mis- and incest, or when the
nightmare of many women hospital 30 minutes away. The Associated Press only carriages. mother's life is in danger.
in El Salvador," said her law- The fetus was 32 weeks old identifies victims of alleged "If a poor woman has a mis- Salvadoran law dictates up
yer, Elizabeth Deras. — nearly full term — and sexual assault by name if carriage, she's immediately to eight years in prison for
Hernández says she had forensic examiners weren't the victims themselves go suspected of having had women who intentionally
no idea she was pregnant, able to determine whether public with the allegations. an abortion," Bukele said terminate a pregnancy,
as a result of a rape. She the death occurred in the The trial of Hernández, 21, in 2018. "We can't assume and for medical practitio-
recalls making her way to womb, or in the feces. The was set to begin Monday guilt when what a woman ners who assist them. q

Puerto Rico governor rejects calls to resign amid scandal

Gov. Ricardo Rosselló step padlocked and other en- Two top officials, Chief Fi-
down for his involvement trances were barricaded nancial Officer Christian
in a private chat in which shut and monitored by po- Sobrino and Secretary of
he used profanities to de- lice. State Luis G. Rivera Marín
scribe an ex-New York City Some activists say they are have already resigned.
councilwoman and a fed- ashamed of the language Rosselló said at a church in
eral control board oversee- used by Rosselló in the the capital of San Juan on
ing the island's finances. group chat and the ways Sunday that he was hum-
The demonstrators includ- the reputation of the U.S. bled by events and would
ed teachers, union work- territory might be affected. look to God to guide him
ers, students, members of The chat, which came through "figurative or real"
a feminist collective and to light earlier this week, hurricanes.
others who congregated in showed that the gover- He said that his "commit-
front of the mansion chant- nor called former New ment is to learn from what
ing, "Ricky resign, the peo- York City Council speaker was done" and continue
Police block protesters from advancing to La Fortaleza gover- ple don't want you!" Melissa Mark-Viverito the "advancing efforts so that
nor's residence in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Undersecretary of La For- Spanish word for "whore," Puerto Rico can move for-
Associated Press taleza's press office, Mi- and in English told the over- ward." In the afternoon,
chelle De la Cruz, said she sight board to "go f--- your- House and Senate leader-
Associated Press gathered outside La For- did not know if the gov- self" followed by a string of ship of Rosselló's New Pro-
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) taleza governor's residence ernor was home. The resi- emojis with the middle fin- gressive Party were expect-
— Protesters in Puerto Rico on Sunday, demanding dence's main doors were ger raised. ed to meet.q