Attack on sexual and reproductive rights

On 21 January, the Honduran Congress approved the first reading of a bill that would reform the Constitution to increase the number of votes needed to change the articles that prohibit abortion and marriage between people of the same sex. If ratified, the bill would effectively block future attempts to decriminalize abortion under any circumstances or to legislate in favour of equal marriage. The bill must be ratified by three quarters of the Congress and will be discussed on 28 January. It is expected to be voted on this same day. We demand Congress to reject this pernicious bill.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

In April 2017, Honduras missed a historic opportunity to protect women's rights and guarantee them access to safe and legal abortion. Despite recommendations made by International human rights bodies and mechanisms, the National Congress of Honduras decided to maintain the total ban on abortion.

Under the new Penal Code that entered into force in June 2020, abortion continues to be criminalized in all cases, including when the life and health of the woman is at risk or when the pregnancy is the result of sexual violence. Honduras is one of nine countries in the world that continues to prohibit any form of abortion.

According to an analysis based on data from the Ministry of Health in 2018, the NGO Women's Rights Center noted that 75% of maternal hospital deaths could have been prevented if the pregnancy had been terminated. During the analysis of legal files of women of women criminalized for abortion, CDM also found 47 criminal files against women prosecuted for abortion.

Marriage between people of the same sex is also explicitly prohibited in the Honduran Constitution.