Beatriz Assemlby outside the Permanente Mission of El Salvador to the OAS. CREDIT: Fòs Feminista
Beatriz’s story exposes the consequences of abortion criminalization
Washington, DC — Fòs Feminista applauds U.S. Representative Nikema Williams’ (D-GA) introduction of a House resolution that offers solidarity with feminists in El Salvador who are holding their government accountable through the #JusticiaParaBeatriz movement. The resolution also wholeheartedly disavows criminalizing abortion care in any way, shape, or form, in El Salvador, in the U.S., and beyond. Beatriz’s case from El Salvador was argued before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in late March. The Court’s pending ruling will have lasting implications not just for El Salvador but for the whole region, as it’s the first time the Court is addressing a specific case about abortion.
In support of Rep. Williams’ resolution, the global #JusticiaParaBeatriz movement and in opposition to leaders criminalizing abortion in El Salvador, in the U.S., and across the world, Katherine Olivera, associate director of U.S. global policy at Fòs Feminista, released the following statement:
“Beatriz’s case is harrowing for feminists everywhere. Every person has the right to make decisions about their own body and health, free from coercion or interference. The denial of these rights is a violation of fundamental human rights, plain and simple.
“In recognition of the imminent threat posed by criminalization, this week, our allies in the U.S. House of Representatives spoke up for the rights denied to Beatriz. Representative Nikema Williams and her courageous colleagues in the House demonstrated that the strength of our movement transcends borders in moments of crisis by lifting their voices to demand the Inter-American Court of Human Rights delivers #JusticeParaBeatriz.
“The threat of criminalization is not far-fetched or unimaginable: It’s happening right before our eyes. It’s the intended destination that anti-abortion extremists quietly hoped we wouldn’t recognize from afar. Beatriz was not the first to be harmed by El Salvador’s criminalization of abortion, just as Justyna Wydrzyńska was not the first to be endangered by Poland’s criminal penalties. And week after week, we’re seeing extremist leaders in the United States introduce legislation to criminalize abortion care. But the global feminist movement is stronger than ever and will relentlessly persevere. For each anti-abortion extremist, there are a dozen feminists willing and eager to dedicate every ounce of their energy to protecting the marginalized communities who are being harmed most imminently by draconian criminalization laws.
“We urge the international community to join us in supporting the #JusticiaParaBeatriz movement and advocating for the rights of people in El Salvador seeking abortion care. Now is the time to step up and defend the rights under attack by anti-abortion extremists. As we in Washington, DC, raise our green bandanas in solidarity and lift our voices to fight against cruelty and anti-abortion extremism, we lend the strength of the global feminist movement to those in need and we stand in community with all allies bravely defending our freedoms.”
Background on #JusticiaParaBeatriz (#JusticeforBeatriz):
“Beatriz” was the name given to a young woman and mother from a rural area of El Salvador. Beatriz, who lived in extreme poverty and with lupus, fought against the Salvadoran government to terminate her pregnancy, which put her health at risk and in which the fetus was diagnosed with malformations that would prevent it from living outside the uterus. Beatriz was eventually able to terminate her pregnancy, but her health was seriously affected. She sued the government, demanding reparations and that no other woman experience what she was forced to go through. While Beatriz sadly passed away in 2017, her story exposed to the world the serious impacts of the absolute criminalization of abortion.
On March 22 and 23, 2023, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held an in-person public hearing in Costa Rica in the case of Beatriz v. El Salvador, marking the first time that the IACHR Court fully addressed the issue of abortion. Beatriz’s case highlights the situation faced by women in the Salvadoran public health system, where abortion is absolutely prohibited even in circumstances where their life and health are in danger, and demonstrates the profound injustice of laws that do not take into account the conditions and needs of people who become pregnant.
El Salvador and now the United States are in the small club of only four countries that have ever revoked abortion rights from their people after once granting them. Just like in El Salvador, there is now a steady drumbeat of legitimate yet outrageous efforts within the United States to criminalize abortion for pregnant people and/or those who support them. Beatriz’s case is just one example of many women from around the world who have died or been incarcerated for having obstetric emergencies and other abortion-related issues.
More information can be found at www.justiciaparabeatriz.org
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Fòs Feminista is an international feminist alliance centered around sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice for women, girls, and gender-diverse people. Together with more than 220 organizations in 40 countries worldwide, we engage in healthcare, education, and advocacy to advance our agenda. This includes providing sexual and reproductive health services and implementing community-based strategies that make sexual and reproductive healthcare more accessible to women, girls, and others at the margins. We also engage young people with comprehensive sexuality education and provide care to survivors of gender-based violence. We stand alongside our partners in the streets, in the courts, and in other advocacy spaces as an unapologetically feminist voice, resisting injustice and advocating for gender equality and reproductive rights locally and globally.
Contact: mboldt@mrss.com
