Rape, abortion ban drives pregnant teens to suicide in El Salvador
Rape, abortion ban drives pregnant teens to suicide in El Salvador
Anastasia Moloney
SAN SALVADOR — Reuters
Published Wednesday, Nov. 12 2014, 4:04 AM EST
Last updated Wednesday, Nov. 12 2014, 4:06 AM EST
El Salvador’s ban on abortion is driving hundreds of girls who become pregnant after being raped to commit suicide every year because they see no other option, a government official said.
Teenage pregnancy is one of the leading causes of suicide in the Central American country of 6 million people. Three out of eight maternal deaths in El Salvador are the result of suicide among pregnant girls under 19, latest government figures show.
Many of these girls have not only suffered sexual abuse at the hands of relatives, stepfathers or gang members, but they are also often silenced and prevented from seeking help by the stigma surrounding rape.
On top of that, they face the unwelcome prospect of giving birth to an unwanted baby due to El Salvador’s total ban on abortion even in cases of rape, incest, a deformed foetus or when the women’s life is in danger, campaigners say.
“There is stigma and fear in reporting rape that occurs in families,” said Mario Soriano, a doctor who heads the programme for youth and adolescent development at El Salvador’s health ministry.
More:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/rape-abortion-ban-drives-pregnant-teens-to-suicide-in-el-salvador/article21551467/