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Nicaragua Anti-Abortion Law Amounts to a Death Sentence
  1. Signatures
    735 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. Chair, Inter-American Commission On Human Rights (+ 9 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Chair, Inter-American Commission On Human Rights (Luz Patricia Mejía Guerrero)
      • Vice-Chair, Inter-American Commission On Human Rights (Felipe González)
      • President of the Republic of Nicaragua (Daniel Ortega Saavedra Rosario Murillo)
      • Minister of Health (Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez)
      • Chancellor (Cro. Samuel Santos)
      • Commission on Justice of the National Assembly (José Pallais)
      • President, Commission on Women (Ing. Ana Julia Balladares)
      • President, Supreme Court of Justice (Dr. Manuel Martinez)
      • Judge (Dra. Alba Luz Ramos)
      • President of the Constitutional branch of the Supreme Court of Justice (Dr. Francisco Rosales)
  2. Created By
    Sarah Menkedick
    Pittsburgh, PA, Mexico
About this Petition Petition Letter
Why This Is Important

A pregnant 27-year old Nicaraguan woman, "Amelia," with metastatic cancer has been denied medical treatment on the grounds that it might harm her baby.

Nicaragua passed a draconian anti-abortion law in 2008 which criminalizes abortion even in the case of rape or incest or when the mother's life is in danger. Nicaraguan doctors are prohibited from treating pregnant women with cancer, HIV/AIDS, malaria and cardiac diseases, and threatened with prison sentences for providing health services or information related to abortion.

Amelia has effectively been handed a death sentence by her government. Each day she is denied treatment, she edges closer to death; in a tragic irony, she will most likely die before the baby is even born. Her 10-year old daughter will be left without a mother, since the Nicaraguan government values the life of an unborn fetus over that of a mother. 

Please ask Luz Patricia Mejía Guerrero, Chair of the Inter-American Commision on Human Rights, to urgently petition Nicaragua's government to allow Amelia treatment and overturn this brutal law, which not only prevents women from receiving essential health services to save their lives but also forces rape and incest victims as young as ten years old to carry their pregnancies to term. And tell Nicaragua's president and other Nicaraguan authorities on health, justice, and women's issues that the international community is watching and not to commit this egregious abuse.

Nicaragua's government must be told that this law is an egregious violation of women's most basic human rights.

Recent Signatures

Stop Anti-Abortion Laws that Amount to a Death Sentence

Dear Decision Maker,

A pregnant 27-year old Nicaraguan woman is currently being denied treatment for metastatic cancer under the country's draconian anti-abortion law. This law, passed in 2008, criminalizes abortion even when the pregnancy threatens the health of the mother or occurs as a result of rape or incest.

The law prevents doctors from giving treatment to pregnant women with life-threatening diseases such as malaria, cancer, HIV/AIDS, or cardiac problems. This is effectively a death sentence for many women such as Amelia. Amelia is the mother of a 10-year-old girl, and it is criminal for a government to deny Amelia basic health services and to orphan her young daughter.

Nicaragua's anti-abortion law violates women's most basic human rights. The international community is watching, and action must be taken immediately to get Amelia access to life-saving cancer treatment and to overturn this law. With each day that passes under the law, Amelia and other women with life-threatening illnesses edge closer to death. We are calling upon international human rights to act immediately to change this egregious situation, and demand that Nicaragua take action to save Amelia's life.

Nicaragua must overturn this law and allow women their basic human right to life-saving medical care.

[Your name]