Honduras ratifies constitutional changes on abortion: 4 things to know
Lawmakers in Honduras garnered national headlines last week when they voted to ratify a change to the national constitution that effectively bolsters the ban on abortion in the Latin American nation.
The lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favor of the amendment on Jan. 21, with a second ratification vote last Thursday solidifying what supporters call a “Shield Against Abortion in Honduras.”
“The unborn shall be considered as born for all rights accorded within the limits established by law,” the amendment reads. Language was added to the amendment stating that “it is prohibited and illegal for the mother or a third party to practice any form of interruption of life on the unborn, whose life must be respected from conception.”
Because of the ratified changes, Congress's voting threshold to change abortion law in Honduras raises from two-thirds to three-quarters.
"As a woman and a mother, I am in favor of life and against abortion, I want to speak on behalf of those who are in the mother's womb and cannot be opposed," Gloria Bonilla, a deputy for the Liberal Party who voted in favor of the change, said in a statement.
