http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/03/21/tragedy-in-el-salvador-church-supported-laws-lead-to-death-mother-two-jailed-afteThe Center of Reproductive Rights in El Salvador will be filling a suit against the nation following the preventable death of a women who was jailed after having a miscarriage:
From the moment Manuela arrived at the hospital seeking emergency health care, slipping in and out of consciousness and hemorrhaging, doctors treated her as if she had attempted an abortion and immediately called the police. She was shackled to her hospital bed and accused of murder.
Manuela was sentenced to 30 years in prison without ever having a chance to meet with her lawyer, without an opportunity to speak in her own defense, and without the right to appeal the decision. Shockingly, the judge overseeing her case said that “her maternal instinct should have prevailed” and “she should have protected her child.”
After several months in prison, it was discovered that the visible tumors Manuela had on her neck for which she sought medical care several times without being accurately diagnosed, was advanced Hodgkin’s lymphoma — a disease that likely lead to the severe obstetric emergency she suffered.
She wasn't given a fair trail. She wasn't even properly medically evaluated. But because of El Salvador's ban on all abortions, she was tossed in jail. And she isn't even the first.
Her illness could have been caught earlier if she had received adequate medical attention when she consulted about her tumors in years prior, and if medical officials treating her during her emergency paid any attention to her condition, rather than focusing on reporting her to authorities.
She died and now her two children are without parents. This pro-life law basically caused the death of one person and will cause the pre-mature death of two other through losing their support. While I admire women's rights groups for filling complaints, it seems futile. El Salvador, like so many other Catholic nations, the Church influences with the ruling allowing religious laws to pass in their favor.
The Catholic Church’s role as a protector of social justice and human rights, and its impact on social issues changed... with the appointment of the new Archbishop of San Salvador. He is a member of the right-wing Opus Dei and has the support of the ruling class as well as close ties with right-wing nongovernmental organizations. This change has influenced the stance of both the Church and the government with regard to social issues that affect women in particular.
What's even better is that the Church can pass laws opposite of what people wants. I remember in the Philippines where the majority of Filipinos want better reproductive health laws and coverage, the Church manage to pay off senators to stall the law. But on the plus side, many Catholic nations are beginning to give a middle finger to Right-winged Catholicism and it's positive that many Catholics are opposed to these draconian laws.
