The ban on unsafe abortion in Nicaragua has been linked to at least a dozen preventable deaths.

Sara Gomez

On November 17, 2006, Nicaragua became the third country in the world to pass legislation that bans abortion under any circumstances.  In the two years since that law was passed, international organizations and institutions have organized to oppose the law, calling it a violation of women’s human rights and a contributing factor deaths and injuries of Nicaraguan women.

According to Nicaraguan Ministry of Health, approximately 6700 women are hospitalized in Nicaragua every year with complications due to spontaneous and induced abortions.  Shortly after the law was enacted, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights released a statement saying that ban was contrary to international law and threatened women's human rights. This month the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights will address the ban in its 41^st session (a “shadow report” prepared by a coalition of Nicaraguan health and human rights organizations, including Ipas Central America, may be downloaded here.)

Although the government has not evaluated the impact of the law on women's lives, an analysis conducted by Ipas Central Americafound that at least 12 Nicaraguan women died from serious medical conditions aggravated by pregnancy. Access to safe abortion services — which would have been legal for these women before the 2006 ban — would likely have saved these women's lives. What’s more, a study by Human Rights Watch showed that doctors might withhold otherwise legal treatment if they believe that they might be prosecuted.

The government of Nicaragua steadfastly refuses to hear objections to the unpopular law.Indeed, it has harassed organizations that have opposed the law. Nonetheless, these organizations continue to call attention to the violations of women's human rights.

Go here to learn more about Ipas's work in Nicaragua and for a complete list of articles.

For more information, contact media@ipas.org