Call on Nicaragua to lift the total ban on abortion

To whom it may concern:

The criminalization of access to abortion services, even where continuing with a pregnancy endangers a woman's or girl's life or health, or where the pregnancy is a result of rape, is a human rights violation.
The criminalization of all forms of abortion is unlawful, unreasonable and unenforceable. It is often difficult – and in some cases impossible – to prove whether a woman has suffered a miscarriage or had an induced abortion. This places the thousands of women and girls who suffer a miscarriage every year in Nicaragua, and those who care for them, at risk of being wrongfully accused of having induced an abortion.
The effects of the new law are also degrading and discriminatory. The new law means that women and girls are left in severe pain and in fear for their lives and health, with no lawful options left to remedy their suffering. Rape survivors are compelled to carry to term pregnancies that may be an unbearable daily reminder of the violence and humiliation they have suffered. The ban carries greater risks for younger women and girls, not least because the risk of complications arising during pregnancy is higher for them.
The complete ban on abortion in all circumstances will lead to more women and girls seeking clandestine abortions, which can result in long-term health damage, loss of fertility and even death.
The criminalization of all forms of abortion places doctors and nurses in an impossible position. The uncertainty and fear it has created cause delays in decision making during obstetric complications and prevents health professionals from being able to provide life-saving medical treatment and obstetric care.
I urge you to take all necessary action to ensure that Articles 143, 145, 148 and 149 of the Nicaraguan Penal Code are repealed and that safe and legal abortion services are made accessible for women and girls whose lives or health are put at risk by continuing with a pregnancy, or whose pregnancy is the result of rape.

Yours sincerely,
Amnesty International - International Member