This 28-Year-Old Salvadoran Woman Who Was Jailed For 30 Years For Having An Abortion Has Been Freed
Lilian had been sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2015 after she gave birth in a hospital and the baby died 72 hours later due to complications.
A 28-year-old Salvadoran woman who was jailed for 30 years for having an abortion has been freed, making her the last woman to be jailed for an abortion to be freed.
The woman, identified as Lilian, had been sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2015 after she gave birth in a hospital and the baby died 72 hours later due to complications.
The hospital then accused Lilian, who was 20 at the time, of not taking care of the fetus during her pregnancy.
Abortion is illegal in all circumstances in El Salvador, with no exceptions even for rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger.
Under the penal code, having an abortion carries a prison sentence of two to eight years, but being charged with aggravated homicide could extend the sentence up to 50 years.
Lilian, who has a 10-year-old daughter, said she never intended to terminate her pregnancy but was found guilty of aggravated homicide and jailed.
Abortion rights group Agrupación Ciudadana para la Despenalización del Aborto took on Lilian’s case, along with 17 other women sentenced to up to 50 years for having abortions for medical emergencies, under the campaign “We Miss The 17” (Nos Faltan Las 17).
Lilian spent seven years in prison away from her daughter until a judge acquitted her in October 2023, saying she had been in a vulnerable state at the time and the hospital was responsible for her well-being.
She was finally released on December 2023.
In a press conference on Jan. 18, she thanked the people who fought for her freedom and that of 17 and more women.
She also called on others to “stop denouncing cases like these in which we are innocent.”
According to abortion rights groups, there are no more women jailed for having an abortion for medical emergencies, but there are still at least 10 active abortion cases waiting for a sentence.
