the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Mar 5, 2018
Teodora Vasquez was finally freed on February 16. In 2007 she was sentenced to 30 years in prison in El Salvador … for having a miscarriage!
The courts affirmed her conviction last December. But a protest campaign mobilized local support and international organizations, and proved stronger than the judges. Finally, a court found a legal argument to pardon her.
On her release, Vasquez explained she lost 11 years of her life. She intends to fight this unjust law which views the loss of a fetus whether by miscarriage or by abortion as an aggravated homicide. This law has resulted in convictions ranging from 30 to 50 years in prison. According to Amnesty International, at least 27 women are still in prison in El Salvador for miscarriages.
It’s good Teodora Vasquez is out of prison. But the other imprisoned women have yet to be freed. And most importantly, a law that criminalizes women is the real crime.