Honduras ratifies constitutional changes on abortion: 4 things to know

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Tuesday, February 02, 2021

Pro-choice groups voice outrage

A member of Amnesty International attends a demonstration outside the El Salvador embassy in Mexico City, May 29, 2013, in support of a 22-year-old Salvadoran woman identified as Beatriz, who is seeking an abortion. | REUTERS/Henry Romero

Prominent international human rights groups that hold pro-choice stances on the abortion issue have denounced Honduras’ constitutional change, claiming that it harms the female population of Honduras.

Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said in a statement that the constitutional change is “a violation of human rights.”

“Instead of continuing down the path of criminalization and clandestine abortions, Honduras should follow Argentina’s lead and put an end to a law that damages public health and the human rights of thousands of women and girls every year,” stated Guevara-Rosas.

Ximena Casas, Americas women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, warned the change is something that will “make it virtually impossible to carry out the recommendations from multiple international human rights bodies to end this violation of reproductive rights.”