health
March 2, 2026
Jailed for losing a pregnancy: how progress on El Salvador’s harsh anti-abortion law is unravelling
Years of campaigning led to the release of 81 women imprisoned under the country’s strict reproductive laws, but the suspension of civil rights by President Nayib Bukele is fuelling a new wave of criminalisation
TL;DR
- El Salvador bans abortion under all circumstances, with women facing up to 50 years in prison for terminating pregnancies or experiencing obstetric emergencies.
- Advocacy efforts led to the release of 81 women from 2009 to 2023, signaling a period of progress.
- President Nayib Bukele's 'state of exception', implemented in March 2022 to combat gang violence, has suspended civil rights and expanded criminalization.
- Women experiencing miscarriages, stillbirths, and other obstetric emergencies are now being investigated and prosecuted under these emergency powers.
- Hospitals have seen increased surveillance, with cameras installed in operating rooms and consultation areas.
- Legal protections like due process, access to lawyers, and presumption of innocence have been undermined.
- A climate of fear deters medical professionals and lawyers from intervening, and women are too afraid to speak out.
- The dissolution of the Citizens’ Group for the Decriminalisation of Abortion highlights the increasingly restrictive political climate.
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