Thanks for signing up.
We invite you to also join our Facebook community or follow us on Twitter to get the most up to date news on issues affecting women's health and rights. Looking for other ways to be involved?
- or -
05.18.12 - On May 17, 2012, the Center
for Reproductive Rights held a demonstration on the steps of the Honduran
Congress. Our mission: to stop the government from
passing a bill that will imprison women for using emergency contraception. Alejandra Cárdenas, Legal Adviser for Latin America and the
Caribbean, had planned to personally
hand-deliver 730,000 petitions to the Congress signed by activists in more than
80 countries in protest.
The response was completely unexpected.
Juan Orlando Hernández, president of the Congress,
declined to take our petitions—but not because he didn’t hear the massive
outcry. In fact, Hernández said he’s no longer planning to bring the bill up for
debate—and even proclaimed support for women’s self-determination.
This is a major victory for women in Honduras, but the fight is not over.
The Center met with five Congressmen who did
take our signatures, and they have promised to push for a vote next week to
make sure that this bill—which is still waiting in the wings and can be voted
on at any time—is defeated once and for all.
The Center is profoundly thankful to the thousands of people who took action
and joined us, along with our partners Centro de Derechos de Mujeres and Avaaz,
to speak out against this radical bill.
Emergency contraception is vital everywhere, but especially in places like
Honduras where sexual violence against women is rampant, unplanned pregnancy
rates are high, and access to regular birth control is limited.
---------------------------------------