Most of the recent news regarding Honduras has centered on the fragile discussions to end the political crisis caused by the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya. In the meantime, a law took effect this week that will have a strong affect on Honduran women.The new law- which was passed by the Honduran legislature before the crisis- bans the sale and distribution of the morning-after pill. Proponents of the measure claimed that the pill induced abortions, a procedure which is unconstitutional in Honduras. Furthermore, backers of the controversial act accused opponents of being backed by foreign groups in favor of abortion.
The ban on the birth control device comes at a time when some Honduran human rights activists claimed that women’s rights have been restricted under de facto rule:
“The cruelest form of repression against women has been sexual violence designed to intimidate women against leaving their homes” (said Soraya Long of the Observatorio de la Transgresión Feminista)…The move in Honduras comes days after a Peruvian high court banned the free distribution of the morning-after pill. (Latin American countries vary in their laws on the birth control device, however).
(The ban against the morning-after pill) “shows how the ultraconservative political class has joined with religious fundamentalists to rollback the social changes and laws obtained for the rights of women” opined (Adelay Carías of Feministas en Resistencia).
Image- Guardian UK
Online Sources- CIMAC, AFP, Catholic News Agency, Xinhua
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