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El Salvador And Las 17

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“El Salvador And ‘Las 17’”

An acknowledged journalist and author, Erika Guevara- Rosas in her article for the New York Times paper, “El Salvador And ‘Las 17’”, justifies the intense and altering consequences women are put in jail for having miscarriages and abortions. Rosas’ main drive is to enlighten her readers on the prejudice that is occurring in El Salvador where all abortions are forbidden including “when the mother’s life or well-being is in danger, and in all incidents of rape” (Rosas). “Carmen Guadalupe Vásquez Aldana was just 18 when, in 2008, she was sentenced to 30 years in jail” (Rosas). Her crime was for having a miscarriage. February of 2015, Vasquez was finally released after being incarcerated for almost a decade. She …show more content…

Rosas logical appeal to the readers is supported by “Women and girls cannot access an abortion even if continuing their pregnancy will kill them, or if their fetuses are not viable” (Rosas). She goes on and catches the viewers’ attention by saying that, “Those who defy the law and seek unsafe, clandestine abortions face horrifying consequences” (Rosas).
“El Salvador is extremely strict when it comes down to enforcing the conservative approach with governing the people” (Rosas). “A constitutional amendment in 1998 defined life to begin at conception” (Geneva). Rosas says that the main spark that lead up to the prohibition was recovering from the civil war. Abortion is not only a problem in El Salvador but a problem worldwide. But the injustice in El Salvador is where the major troubles spread. “El Salvador is extremely conservative, and the Catholic Church’s influence extends into political decision making” (Rosas). The women undoubtedly have no say whatsoever. Instead, the government and laws overpower their opinions. She appeals to her audience by bringing up the topic that any free society should be considered to the physical right of the woman. Women and young girls in El Salvador are being forced to interact in sexual activities by men, yet the Catholic Church thinks elsewise. Nowhere does the law state anything about miscarriages or abortions, yet women are still convicted and imprisoned for these

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