On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of El Salavador refused an appeal by a 22-year-old woman with serious health issues to have a lifesaving abortion. Beatriz is 26 weeks pregnant with a fetus missing parts of its brain and skull; it is not expected to live for more than a few hours after birth. Her doctors said Beatriz needed to terminate her pregnancy, however, because of complications with her ailing kidneys and lupus. The court ruled this week that since Beatriz’s death was not “imminent,” it would not allow doctors to give her an abortion.
But yesterday, following an international outcry, the Health Minister of El Salvador approved a Cesarean section for Beatriz, which will effectively terminate the pregnancy, “in the event of an emergency.” Keep reading »



































