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Salvadoran women jailed for abortion warn US of total ban

Cindy, left, leans on her mom, Aracely, who supported her when in 2014 she was imprisoned for an obstetric emergency, in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Friday, May 20, 2022. She and her son live with her parents as she resumes her tourism studies. Because it’s been hard for Cindy to find work, she and her mom make hand craft piñatas for children, selling them out of their home. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Cindy, second from right, along with her son and niece, help their young neighbor practice his numbers, on Friday, May 20, 2022, in San Salvador, El Salvador. In 2014 she was imprisoned for an obstetric emergency that she suffered in a shopping mall bathroom. Since being released in 2020, she has reflected on the time lost, time away from work, her son, and her studies. She dreams of one day traveling abroad with her son and starting over in a new place. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Cindy stands proudly in her home, surrounded by hand made piñatas and old family photos in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Friday, May 20, 2022. In 2014 she was imprisoned for an obstetric emergency that she suffered in a shopping mall bathroom. Since being released, she has reflected on the time lost, time away from work, her son, and her studies. Cindy has recently resumed her tourism studies and hopes to resume English language lessons. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) An alleyway runs through a neighborhood in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Friday, May 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Imelda plays with the daughter of a fellow freed woman accused and arrested on charges of provoking an abortion, in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. Imelda says she was repeatedly raped from age 8 to 18 by her mother's partner and does not think women should be forced to carry a child conceived by rape. After being released from prison in 2018, Imelda began studying to become a nurse in hopes of setting a better example for medical providers on how to treat patients in similar situations as hers. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Cinthia Rodriguez holds her daughter at a park in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. El Salvador has prosecuted at least 181 women who experienced obstetric emergencies in recent decades. Cinthia is one of the 65 women who have been freed with the help of nonprofit Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion and other women's rights collectives. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Karen, who was convicted of aggravated homicide for allegedly terminating her pregnancy, sits for an interview in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. At 21, she fainted while having an obstetric emergency alone at her grandmother’s home. She woke up at the hospital handcuffed to a gurney and was later sentenced to 30 years. After spending seven years in prison, the Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion and other activists successfully advocated for her release this past December. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Jesús closes his eyes as he tells the story of his mother, Manuela, who was arrested in 2008 on suspicion of breaching El Salvador’s abortion law after she suffered an obstetric emergency, in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. He and his younger brother were left orphaned after she died in 2010 while serving a 30-year sentence. He now retells this painful story in hopes that other children won’t have to face the same suffering. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) In this photo taken in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, Jesús holds a photo of a drawing of his mother, Manuela, who was arrested in 2008 on suspicion of breaching El Salvador’s abortion law after she suffered an obstetric emergency. His mother died from cancer in 2010 while serving a 30-year sentence for aggravated homicide. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights recently ruled that the Salvadoran government had violated Manuela's rights and ordered it to pay damages to her two sons who were left orphaned. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Children sing during morning Mass at San Salvador’s St. Francis of Assisi Parish, on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in San Salvador, El Salvador. The Catholic Church and a growing number of evangelical churches have vast influence in the overwhelmingly Christian country. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Light shines onto a statue during morning Mass at San Salvador’s St. Francis of Assisi Parish, on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in San Salvador, El Salvador. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Salvadoran lawmaker Guillermo Gallegos sits for a portrait in his office in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Monday, May 16, 2022. Gallegos says allowing abortion would countermand deeply held beliefs among a large majority in El Salvador. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) A portrait of lawmaker Guillermo Gallegos is seen through a window in his office, on Monday, May 16, 2022, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Lawmakers voted last year to uphold the country’s abortion ban, one of the world’s strictest, with some citing Scripture. Gallegos is outwardly against abortion, saying that it goes against his Christian faith. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Christian icons sit on display in the office of Salvadoran lawmaker Guillermo Gallegos on Monday, May 16, 2022, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Lawmakers voted last year to uphold the country’s abortion ban, one of the world’s strictest, with some citing Scripture. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Teodora del Carmen Vásquez sits with friends and fellow members of her organization, Mujeres Libres (Free Women), on Friday, May 20, 2022, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Vásquez, who served 10 years for aggravated homicide after being arrested on suspicion of violating El Salvador’s abortion law, started the group Mujeres Libres when she was released in 2018. Her group now fights to free other women and help them transition to new lives. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Teodora del Carmen Vásquez sits for an interview at her organization, Mujeres Libres (Free Women), on Friday, May 20, 2022, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Vásquez served more than 10 years in prison after having what she said was a stillbirth. She was arrested on suspicion of violating El Salvador’s abortion law and was ultimately convicted of aggravated homicide and sentenced to 30 years in prison. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Mariana López begins to cry as she recalls the loss and trauma endured after being accused of having an abortion and was imprisoned for 17 years, on Thursday, May 19, 2022, in Ahuachapan, El Salvador. She was forced to leave her toddler son behind, who she no longer has a relationship with. El Salvador has one of the world's strictest abortion laws and stands out for its aggressive prosecution of suspected abortions. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Mariana López sits with her seven-year-old daughter at their home in Ahuachapan, El Salvador, on Thursday, May 19, 2022. In 2000, López says she had an obstetric emergency, but was arrested on suspicion of inducing an abortion. She served 17 years in prison before being released when her 25-year sentence was commuted. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)