Most people are excited to find out that they are going to be having a baby especially if they are first time parents. In the article "Miscarriage: The signs, causes, treatment, and how to cope" published by babycenter.com, most people don't know that about 10 to 20 percent of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage.
We have all heard the controversial issue about abortion. "It's my body so I should have rights over it" or "You are killing a baby." Well what if it was illegal to have a miscarriage because it was seen as killing a baby purposely just like an abortion?
That is how women in El Salavdor live.
In El Salvador, it is illegal to have a miscarriage. The government believes you tried to have an at-home or "illegal" abortion. Women who are in these situations are jailed for their actions and face up to a 50 year sentence.
That is what happened to Christina Quintanilla...
When Christina was 17 years old, she miscarried her 7-month-old fetus. She was found by her mother in a pool of blood, unconscious. Christina woke up in a hospital to find that her baby died. When she woke up, investigators informed her that she was being arrested for the murder of her unborn child. She did not have much time after she woke up to comprehend what had happened. After intensive investigation, the doctors could not find any evidence of an abortion.
Christina was put in a horrible situation because now it was time for her lawyer to defend her in court but her lawyer could not even remember her name. Christina was convicted of aggravated homicide and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
In the El Salvador prisons, women who are convicted of having an abortion and killing their unborn children are seen as convicting the worse crime of all. Those women, including Christina, were beaten, spit on, shoved and isolated from the rest of the prisoners.
It was not until her new lawyer, Denis Munoz-Rosa, reviewed her case that she would have hope to one day be with her mother and young son from a previous relationship. Her case was re-opened because their was no evidence of the cause of death for her baby. The judge agreed and she was free to leave the prison.
Since leaving prison, Christina has found peace living with her family. Prison changed her to help spread awareness about this issue because she would not want this to happen to anyone else.
There is not a day that goes by that she does not think about the son she lost.
For more information about Christina Quintanilla's story, watch the video below.
