Guatemala’s Congress Bans Marriage Equality

The Guatemalan Congress toughened prison sentences for abortion and banned equal marriage, in addition to education on sexual diversity, through a law approved in the middle of international day of Mujer.La “Law for the Protection of Life and the Family” reforms the Civil Code to make it clear that “same-sex marriage is expressly prohibited” in Guatemala. promote in childhood and adolescence policies or programs that tend to divert their identity according to their sex at birth.” The law also punishes with up to 10 years in prison “the woman who causes her abortion or consents to another person causing it,” while in the current law the maximum penalty is three years.
The text punishes with imprisonment of up to 50 years the person responsible for an “abortion or abortive maneuvers carried out without the consent of the woman” and that cause the death of the woman, a crime considered as a “qualified abortion”, reported the AFP news agency. Losing a pregnancy is devastating and this law, even though a woman may be grieving, automatically applies the label of suspect to her. Spontaneous abortions are being criminalized and criminalized and that is dangerous,” warned Congresswoman Lucrecia Hernández, of the center-left Semilla party. Important sectors of the population are being violated. This law is absolutely discriminatory and is a law that incites hatred,” added deputy Walter Felix, of the leftist URNG party.

Original source in Spanish