Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Guatemala increases punishment for abortions and bans same-sex marriage

Guatemala increases punishment for abortions and bans same-sex marriage

Congress passes law targeting LGBTQ+ community, while women now face up to 10 years in prison for terminating pregnancies
Guatemala’s congress has 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.

Late on Tuesday – International Women’s Day – Guatemala’s congress passed a “Protection of Life and Family” law that also targeted the LGBTQ+ community.

Guatemalan women convicted of terminating their pregnancies can now face sentences up to 10 years that before were a maximum of three. The congress imposed even heavier penalties for doctors and others who assist women in ending pregnancies.

Abortions are legal only when the life of the mother is at risk.

On Wednesday, which Guatemala’s congress declared “Life and Family Day”, President Alejandro Giammattei said in a speech at the National Palace, “This event is an invitation to unite as Guatemalans to protect life from conception until natural death.”

Lawmakers backing the legislation said the law was necessary because “minority groups in society propose ways of thinking and practices that are incongruous with Christian morality”.

Vicenta Gerónimo, who voted against the legislation, said it violated human rights, especially of women in rural areas where there is no government health infrastructure.

The legislation passed with 101 votes in favor and eight against. Fifty-one lawmakers were not present.

Jordan Rodas, Guatemala’s elected human rights prosecutor, said Guatemala was regressing by limiting women’s rights at a time the world was expanding them. He added that those supporting sexual diversity were not seeking privileges, “but want to live free of stigma and discrimination”.

“The approval of this dangerous initiative represents a threat to the rights of women and LGBT people in the country,” said Cristian González of Human Rights Watch. He also said the legislation served as a distraction from President Giammattei’s systematic dismantling of the justice system.

Opposition lawmaker Samuel Pérez said it was approved by men unaffected by the issue of abortion.

Colombia expanded access to abortion last month when the constitutional court voted to legalize the procedure until the 24th week of pregnancy. Before the ruling, Colombia allowed abortions only when a woman’s life was in danger, a fetus had malformations or the pregnancy resulted from rape.

In September, Mexico’s supreme court ruled that abortion was not a crime, and that it was unconstitutional to punish abortion.

And in January of last year, a law went into effect in Argentina allowing elective abortion up to the 14th week of pregnancy and beyond that in cases involving rape or risk to the woman’s health. It was all the more significant because Pope Francis hails from Argentina.

The Guatemala legislation also explicitly prohibited same-sex marriage – which was already in effect illegal – and banned schools from teaching anything that could “deviate [a child’s] identity according to their birth gender”.

Lawmaker Armando Castillo, an ally of Giammattei’s administration, defended the legislation, saying that the only thing it did was protect “heterosexual people who have no interest in diversity”.

But the opposition lawmaker Lucrecia Hernández warned her colleagues that the “law stigmatizes people, discriminates and foments intolerance and hate speech and crimes”.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Saudi Arabia Faces Uncertainty Over Succession After Mohammed bin Salman
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Majority of French Voters View Macron's Presidency as a Failure
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
×