Guatemalan presidential candidate Sandra Torres leans on conservative values, opposing gay marriage

Over the past decade, Guatemalan presidential candidate Sandra Torres has been drifting rightward on the political spectrum as she repeatedly has tried to win the presidency

By SONIA PÉREZ D. Associated Press
August 12, 2023

SAN JUAN SACATEPEQUEZ, Guatemala -- Over the past decade, Guatemalan presidential candidate Sandra Torres has been drifting rightward on the political spectrum as she repeatedly has tried to win the presidency.

Now, in her third bid, the former first lady has drafted an evangelical pastor as her running mate and is leaning heavily on her firm commitments to keeping abortion and same-sex marriage illegal in Guatemala.

Continued: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/guatemalan-presidential-candidate-sandra-torres-leans-conservative-values-102218737

12.08.2023

Guatemala congress shelves abortion law passed previous week

Guatemala’s Congress has voted to shelve a controversial law stiffening penalties for abortion, prohibiting same-sex marriage and banning discussion of sexual diversity in schools

By The Associated Press
15 March 2022

GUATEMALA CITY -- Guatemala’s Congress voted Tuesday to shelve a controversial law stiffening penalties for abortion, prohibiting same-sex marriage and banning discussion of sexual diversity in schools, acting a week after it passed by a wide margin.

The reversal came after President Alejandro Giammattei threatened a veto because elements of the legislation were considered unconstitutional and in violation of international treaties that Guatemala has signed.

Continued: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/guatemala-congress-shelves-abortion-law-passed-previous-week-83470946

15.03.2022

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Alejandro Giammattei

anti-choice restrictions

Protection of Life and Family

punishing women for abortion

‘I don’t feel safe’: Guatemalans denounce anti-abortion law

Women’s rights advocates and LGBTQ community members say contentious legislation puts them at ‘high risk’.

By Jeff Abbott
Published On 14 Mar 2022

Guatemala City, Guatemala – With chants of “this pro-life government doesn’t value our lives”, hundreds of people during the weekend converged on the Guatemalan Congress to show their indignation at a new law they say threatens the rights of women and members of the LGBTQ community.

On March 8, while hundreds were commemorating International Women’s Day, Guatemala’s conservative-controlled Congress approved the “Protection of Life and Family” law in a 101-8 vote. There are 160 seats in Congress.

Continued: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/14/i-dont-feel-safe-guatemalans-denounce-anti-abortion-law

Guatemala president vows to veto abortion, same-sex marriage bill

March 10, 2022
By Sofia Menchu

GUATEMALA CITY, March 10 (Reuters) - Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said on Thursday he would veto a bill that seeks to increase abortion penalties to up to 25 years in prison and prohibit same-sex marriage, calling it unconstitutional and in violation of international conventions.

The bill, revived by the conservative Viva Party after being put on ice in 2018, was passed late Tuesday by lawmakers from different parties, including some allies of Giammattei.

Continued: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/guatemala-president-vows-veto-abortion-same-sex-marriage-bill-2022-03-11/

10.03.2022

anti-choice restrictions

Guatemala increases abortion penalty, bans same-sex marriage

While some countries in Latin America have expanded abortion access, Guatemala increased prison sentences for women who have abortions.

March 10, 2022
By Associated Press

GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan lawmakers have increased prison sentences for women who have abortions, bucking a recent trend in Latin America toward expanding access to the procedures.

As some of Latin America’s largest countries — Mexico, Argentina, Colombia — have expanded abortion access in the past two years, there remain countries where conservative religious trends continue to hold sway.

Continued: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/guatemala-increases-abortion-penalty-bans-sex-marriage-rcna19496

Guatemala Congress bans same-sex marriage

Published Mar 9, 2022

Guatemala's Congress has voted in favour of a law which prohibits same-sex marriage. The law will also prohibit the teaching of sexual diversity in schools and raise the prison sentences for women seeking abortion.

Abortion is banned in Guatemala except in cases where the woman's life is at risk.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-60675472

Guatemala triples jail time for women seeking abortion and bans same-sex marriage

Critics said the bill, which was approved on International Women's Day, 'should really be called a law to imprison and kill women'

By Sarah Newey, GLOBAL HEALTH SECURITY CORRESPONDENT
9 March 2022

Women in Guatemala face spending a decade behind bars if they choose to have an abortion, under legislation approved by the country’s conservative-led Congress on Tuesday.

The so-called ‘Life and Family Protection Law’ will more than triple the current prison sentence imposed on a woman who has an abortion, from three to 10 years. It also bans same-sex marriages and any initiatives teaching about sexual diversity.

Continued: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/women-and-girls/guatemala-triples-jail-time-women-seeking-abortion-bans-same/

Guatemala law punishes abortion with prison for up to 25 years

By Sofia Menchu

MEXICO CITY, March 8 (Reuters) - Guatemala's Congress approved on Tuesday a law that punishes abortion with up to 25 years in prison and prohibits same-sex marriage and teaching about sexual diversity in schools.

Proposed by the conservative Viva Party, the law for the protection of life and the family was unexpectedly approved by a large majority of lawmakers including allies of President Alejandro Giammattei.

Continued: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/guatemala-law-punishes-abortion-with-prison-up-25-years-2022-03-09/

Women being pushed to the margins of society in Guatemala

Women being pushed to the margins of society in Guatemala
Violence and discrimination are routine and many die in childbirth from largely preventable causes

Nov 18, 2019
Aisling Walsh, Naomi Elster, Guatemala City

Guatemala is marketed across the globe as the “Heart of the Mayan World”. Photographs of spectacular jungle pyramids and smiling indigenous women, carried on Piccadilly buses in London and splashed across screens in new York’s Times Square, promote a tourism industry worth almost $3.4 billion (€3 billion) a year.

On arriving in Guatemala, it is easy to recognise the vivid colours of Mayan traditional clothing and the dramatic scenery of imposing volcanoes, shimmering lakes and dense forests sliced into steep hills and sharp ravines.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/women-being-pushed-to-the-margins-of-society-in-guatemala-1.4087198

Denied abortions, Latin American child rape survivors petition UN

Denied abortions, Latin American child rape survivors petition UN
Groups on behalf of young rape survivors from Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua call on region to provide abortion access.

30 May 2019

Reproductive rights groups petitioned a United Nations agency on Wednesday on behalf of four young pregnant rape survivors in Latin America, calling on the region to ease up on its restrictive abortion laws.

Due to the laws, the girls were forced to carry their unwanted pregnancies to term and became "mothers against their will", said the petition by the US-based Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood Global and other rights groups in Ecuador, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

continued: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/denied-abortions-latin-american-child-rape-survivors-petition-190530172120887.html