Honduras lawmakers seek to lock in ban on abortion for ever

Legislators in Honduras are pushing a constitutional reform through Congress that would make it virtually impossible to legalise abortion in the country – now or in the future. The measure, called a “shield against abortion” by its proponents, comes in response to the feminist “green wave” movement sweeping across Latin America that recently achieved its biggest victory yet with the legalisation of abortion in Argentina. “It’s a shield to stop the green wave,” said Cristina Alvarado, a representative of the Women’s Movement for Peace. “In Honduras there is an absolute violation of the reproductive rights of women and girls.” Honduras is one of four countries in Latin America that prohibits abortion under any circumstance, and the only one to also prohibit emergency contraceptives, even in the case of rape. The new measure, which is likely to pass within the next week, would require at least three-quarters of Congress to vote in favour of modifying the country’s abortion law for any …