Honduras referred to UN human rights committee over total abortion ban

Source: The Guardian

Honduras referred to UN human rights committee over total abortion ban

Petition filed on behalf of woman known as as Fausia, who underwent a forced pregnancy after being raped

Constance Malleret
Wed 24 Apr 2024 06.00 BST
Last modified on Wed 24 Apr 2024 06.03 BST

Honduras is being taken to a global human rights body for the first time over its total abortion ban, which campaigners say violates women’s fundamental rights and the country’s international commitments.

The Center for Reproductive Rights and the Honduras-based Centro de Derechos de la Mujer (Center for Women’s Rights, CDM) filed a petition with the UN human rights committee this month on behalf of a woman known as Fausia, who underwent a forced pregnancy after being raped and denied an abortion under Honduras’ draconian laws.

Honduras is one of five Latin American countries – along with Haiti, Nicaragua, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic – where abortion is prohibited in all circumstances, even in cases of rape, incest, or when the pregnant woman’s life is at risk. Until last year, it was also the only country to outlaw emergency contraceptives.

Women who have an abortion or medical professionals who perform one can face up to six years in prison. The ban was reinforced by a constitutional amendment in 2021, which raised the threshold of votes needed for congress to modify the abortion law.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/apr/24/honduras-referred-to-un-human-rights-committee-over-total-abortion-ban