Human rights group Amnesty International pulled no punches in criticizing Nicaragua’s total ban on abortions.Amnesty's report called the prohibition on abortions even cases of incest or rape a "cruel, inhuman disgrace" that has caused an increase in maternal deaths. "There is only one way to describe what we have seen in Nicaragua sheer horror," said Amnesty’s Executive Deputy Secretary General Kate Gilmore at a press conference presenting the study.
Last year, Nicaragua revised their penal code to criminalize all forms of abortion; thus, women who seek an abortion and medical staff who provide services ties with abortion face prison sentences. According to Amnesty, the situation has deteriorated to such a point that doctors are scared to treat a pregnant woman for illnesses such as cancer, or HIV/AIDS.
The issue of abortion helped current president Daniel Ortega win his post in 2006; as a candidate, he backed the ban on abortions despite promoting them when he lead the Sandinista regime in the 1980s. Ortega’s collusion with some of Nicaragua’s conservative factions in order to consolidate power has some activists criticizing his “betrayal” of Sandinismo:
To grasp power, Ortega formed an unlikely alliance with the conservative Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, notably with Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, who had been one of the Sandinistas' fiercest critics in the '80s.Image- BBC News
To win Obando's support, Ortega came out in favor of tightening Nicaragua's already tough abortion law: It is now illegal in Nicaragua even if the woman's health is threatened. In the '80s, Ortega had been a champion of women's rights and abortion rights.
"We have gone backward," said Ana Quiros, a public health advocate and longtime Sandinista.
"They are taking away rights and liberties, and we have gone full circle, back to dictatorship," (veteran Sandinista activist Sofia) Montenegro agreed. "We are fighting for the same things we were fighting for 30 years ago."
Online Sources- BBC News, AHN, Guardian UK, Amnesty International, CNN, Los Angeles Times
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