Madrid, Spain, Jun 29, 2007 / 09:10 am
The European Union and the United Nations have kept up pressure on Nicaragua to reverse the law passed last October 26 outlawing therapeutic abortion in the country, saying economic aid could be lost if the law is not changed.
In the parliamentarian debates prior to the outlawing of abortion, Nicaragua was under pressure from the UN and from donating countries not to prohibit the practice.
As part of the pressure, the president of the National Parliament received a letter in which he was asked to stop debate on the measure to reform the country’s Penal Code.
Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Germany’s Minister of Cooperation and Development, said, “The international community of donating countries has clearly expressed to President Ortega that there would be immediate consequences in terms of cooperation for development if this national legislation (that penalizes therapeutic abortion) is not rejected.”
Marc Litvine, who represents the EU Foreign Relations Directory in Nicaragua, said in February of this year that the EU sees the issue of the legality of abortion “linked with aid for poverty and women’s rights” and he said his institution is “concerned” about the criminalization of abortion. He said he expected the law to be reversed.
Karl Buck, another EU official, relayed “the enormous indignation” of the EU in a fax sent to the Nicaraguan ambassador in which he threatened to marginalize the country from the international community and ostracize it until it reverses the law.
The organization EUROFAM is encouraging people to write letters of protest to German chancellor and current EU President, Angela Merkel. More information can be found at http://www.eu2007.de/en/contact/index.html