News Briefs

El Salvador pro-life groups decry ‘misleading’ CBS report amid abortion fight

June 5, 2020 CNA Daily News 0

CNA Staff, Jun 5, 2020 / 12:35 pm (CNA).- Pro-life leaders in El Salvador say a recent CBS News report on abortion in the country is misleading, and does not accurately portray factual narratives, amid a fight over the legalization of abortion in the country. 

A CBS documentary “Jailed for Abortion in El Salvador” and an accompanying print report, were published online May 28. Pro-life advocates in the country say the report leaves out or misrepresents crucial information regarding landmark fights over abortion in the country.

The CBS report claimed that “more than 140 women have been charged under El Salvador’s total ban on abortion since 1998, incarcerated for up to 35 years in some of the world’s most notorious prisons. Many say they never had an abortion, but instead claim that after suffering a miscarriage they were wrongfully convicted when their doctors accused them of intentionally terminating their pregnancies.”

Alabama state Representative Merika Coleman visited last November a prison in El Salvador where some of those women are incarcerated. She told CBS News that if Roe vs. Wade is overturned “things that are going on in El Salvador could actually happen in the United States,”

The report mentioned the case of “Manuela,” whose real name is María Edis Hernández de Castra, a woman who according to CBS, claimed to have had a miscarriage and “was charged and convicted for aggravated homicide, and sentenced to 30 years in prison.”

Hernández served two years of her sentence before she died from Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2010.

“But a lawsuit brought on behalf of Manuela’s family after her death may bring change. Next year, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights is expected to hear her case, and if the international body sides with Manuela and her family, El Salvador could be barred from prosecuting women who say they miscarried, according to an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, the law firm representing the family,” CBS reported.

El Salvadoran pro-life organizations say that the case of Hernández, or Manuela, is one of numerous cases in El Salvador in which acts of infanctide have been reported as miscarriages, and used in litigation intended to promote the legalization of abortion.

According to VIDA SV, the trial documents in Hernández’ case indicate that her child died when he was discarded in a latrine shortly after his birth. At trial, Hernández claimed she did not know she was pregnant until she miscarried in the latrine. Prosecutors presented evidence that she discarded her child while he was alive, and argued that evidence indicated she’d done so knowingly. A jury agreed with the prosecution.

Sara Larín, president of the Fundación VIDA SV, and Ligia Castaldi, a professor at the Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Florida, published this year in the International Human Rights Review an exhaustive legal investigation of 25 cases, which explains in detail “the fraud involved in the Hernández case before the Inter-American Court” and the other cases.

Speaking June 3 to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish language news partner, Larín said that the Center for Reproductive Rights had “sent an intimidating letter” requesting Hernández’ name be redacted from that investigation, “alleging that it is necessary to protect the privacy of the relatives of the alleged victim.”

Larín pointed out that “CBS News itself and a documentary made by the Center for Reproductive Rights show the faces of family members and the family’s living conditions to emotionally manipulate public opinion in favor of this case.”

Larín further noted that Hernández “was not a victim, but a victimizer,” given her conviction for aggravated homicide.

“The sentence is public precisely because the right to privacy is reserved to the victims and not to the victimizers,” Larín stressed.

“She never disputed her guilt, did not file any appeal for review, and gave conflicting versions of the facts. The evidence shows that she committed the crime and those false versions were never found reasonable by the Court. It’s not true that she didn’t know that she was pregnant, she had already had three children previously, ”Larin explained.

In her testimony, “Maria Edis said that she had fallen into the river, that she had inadvertently expelled the child in the latrine, which according to forensic doctors was not possible; there was no evidence of any injuries from the alleged fall into the river. It was determined that the child was born alive, breathing, and survived between 10 and 20 minutes after being thrown into the latrine,” Larín said.

The court’s sentence said that Hernández’ statements were “contrary to logic and medicine,” and concluded that she deliberately caused the baby’s death.

The international campaign to legalize abortion

According to Larín, abortion proponents intend to create a legal precedent that forces the Salvadoran government to pay millions in compensation to the organizations that filed the lawsuit.

“That money will have to be financed from the taxes of the entire Salvadoran people so these pro-abortion groups can continue to use it to bombard us with ideologies contrary to the law, morality and good customs,” she said.

Another pro-life leader, Julia Regina de Cardenal, the president of the Fundación Sí a la Vida (Yes to Life) in El Salvador, told ACI Prensa June 3 that this “slanderous international campaign against El Salvador to legalize the abortion industry is financed by petty interests capable of the worst tricks to achieve their goal. “

De Cardenal said that the other cases presented in the documentary and in the CBS News articles were also “being manipulated” since “they have nothing to do with abortions.”

“These women were convicted for the aggravated homicide of their children who were born alive,” she said.

Babies allegedly miscarried have been found “strangled, struck with a stone, with fractures to the neck, stabbed, abandoned in septic tanks or inside plastic bags that had been hidden,” she said.

“They were all full term babies who breathed, but were cruelly killed.”

De Cardenal pointed out that in El Salvador “there is not a single serious media outlet that has published the lies repeated in the international propaganda media, that women are hated and persecuted here; that hundreds of women are imprisoned for abortion; that poor women who had ‘miscarriages,’ ‘obstetric emergencies’ or ‘non-hospital deliveries’ are given 40 years in prison.”

“That’s false,” she underscored.

De Cardenal emphasized that in El Salvador miscarriage is not punishable, and that “this farce is so absurd because women are not even imprisoned for induced abortion.”

“Why? Because the penalty for induced abortion is 2 to 8 years (not 40) and the judges don’t hate or persecute the women, instead they give them alternative sentencing, ” she explained.

The Yes to Life Foundation representative said that the Salvadoran people “are fed up with the lack of respect and insults of deceitful foreign actresses and journalists who accuse us of having a ‘medieval, draconian law,’ when in reality we have legislation that truly protects equal human rights for all people, which ought to serve as a model for the rest of the world. ”

“Why are they lying? Because they know that very few people would support the infanticide they are defending, ” she said.

De Cardenal believes that “it is not surprising that those who profit from exploiting women in crisis pregnancies by killing their unborn children, also defend killing them after they’re born.”

“Fortunately, we Salvadorans are pro-life and we know that these women need all our support, not violence and death,” she added.

 

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Catholic priest, psychologist offer advice for stressful times

June 5, 2020 CNA Daily News 0

Denver Newsroom, Jun 5, 2020 / 03:00 am (CNA).- With disturbing and frightening news dominating the headlines in recent weeks, a psychologist and a priest suggested that Catholics take care to guard their psychological and spiritual health.

Just as much of the country has started easing quarantine restrictions intended to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, many states are now seeing unrest following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in police custody.

A May 25 video that has circulated widely online shows an officer with the Minneapolis Police Department kneeling on Floyd’s neck for several minutes after he was taken into custody. Floyd could be heard saying “I can’t breathe” several times. He died soon after.

Cities across the U.S. have seen widespread protests against police brutality and racism in the wake of Floyd’s death. Some protests have turned to nights of rioting, and conflicts with police. At least five people have died amid the protests.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was arrested May 29, and has been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. The other officers present at the scene have been charged with aiding and abetting.

In some cases, the death of George Floyd may affect people more deeply than the pandemic has, said Jennifer Madere, president of the Catholic Psychotherapy Association (CPA).

“The pandemic was perceived more as external, whereas experiences of injustice, and oppression bring up our own pain and trauma,” she told CNA.

Several members of the CPA noted an increase in feelings of anxiety, confusion, distress, mourning, and anger in recent weeks. Some people may be retreating into themselves as they process the fear and trauma surrounding them.

Dr. Christina Lynch, a supervising psychologist for Denver’s St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, said that Floyd’s death, and the protests and riots that have followed, have added an additional sense of insecurity to the feeling of turbulence already present due to the coronavirus pandemic.

She stressed the value of staying connected to friends, family, and neighbors during this time, noting that isolation can be detrimental to mental health.

“Isolation leads to loneliness which can increase our stress levels. Constant stress and fear can lead to anger and sadness – which in the end can cause a spike in depression without the person being aware,” she said. “It is important to talk about your concerns and feelings with a trusting person. Seek positive solutions to the current events rather than instilling further fear. Speak to others about what positive outcomes can come from bad situations.”

She also encouraged people to spend time focusing on gratitude, taking time every day to write down five blessings and sharing their appreciation with others.

“It is wise to watch a minimum of news, just enough to stay safe. It is important to exercise, eliminate alcohol (a depressant) and eat less sugar. Take deep breaths and breath out the anxiety physically. If possible, go for walks outside and get some vitamin D, smile at others, this can stimulate our internal joy,” she added.

“Neurologically one can change their negative thinking by writing down (pen and paper) positive thoughts at least 27 [times]. That can help build positive connections.”

Lynch also stressed the importance of a healthy spirituality. She encouraged Catholics to invite others to pray for peace in the local community and through social media. She also urged people to embrace greater acts of charity.

“My advice would be to make our Catholic faith contagious and choose to positively come against fear and choose to be proactive in promoting hope,” she said. “Pray each morning for internal peace and most of all think positive. Remember thinking is believing. The more positive you think, the more you build positive neurological connections in the brain.”

“Do acts of kindness such as calling people in your church community to see how they are doing,” she added. “The more kind acts we do, the better we feel about ourselves, which will in turn help us to be more proactive in doing more acts of kindness.”

Father John Nepil, a theology professor for St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, told CNA that in times of anxiety and fear, it is particularly important to embrace the love of God. He said the world’s turmoil can be an opportunity for greater conversion.

“We have become convinced as Americans that as long as we’re comfortable and healthy, everything is fine. We’ve [now] realized that there’s no guarantee for that, nor is that always in our best interest,” he said.

“One of the great mistakes we make as Americans is to think that we’re the nice people and that this is just evil people who do these things. I think as Christians, we have to deeply understand ourselves as bound to the actions of our brothers and sisters and responsible for them.”

Nepil stressed that racism, like any form of violence, is an inherent violation of human dignity. He encouraged Catholics to offer prayers and penance in reparation for the sins of others, especially those motivated by racial hate.

Above all, the priest said, the current time is one for conversion, and a recognition that we as a society cannot separate ourselves from God and build a perfect utopia.

“We pray for peace and for the end of hatred, but, as I mentioned before, the most important thing is rejecting the godlessness of our own self reliance and learning to depend more on Jesus alone as the salvation of man,” he said.

 

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