Justice For Who? Inside Evelyn Hernández’s Fight For Freedom
Advocates for reproductive rights cheered last month as Evelyn Hernández was exonerated in a retrial after being found guilty of aggravated homicide following a miscarriage. Evelyn has survived rape, the delivery of a stillborn child and nearly three years in prison. Now, she faces trial once again as El Salvador’s attorney general appealed the court’s decision to acquit her, publicizing a statement redoubling their effort to seeking justice for Evelyn’s son. “There’s no reason to consider her a victim of anything. On the contrary, the only victim is her son.”
During the retrial, Hernández’s legal team established her innocence with scientific evidence including the presence of meconium in the baby’s lungs, to prove that it had died of natural causes, as reported by BuzzFeed News. El Salvador’s supreme court agreed, concluding that the original conviction lacked evidence and was based in prejudice.
As Central American countries soften their draconian anti-abortion policies, El Salvador remains steadfast in its enforcement of a total ban in all cases, even when the mother’s life is at stake. Officials in the conservative country, where one woman was murdered by a man every 24-hours in 2018, perpetuate a culture of violence against women with inhumane laws targeting the impoverished.
Evelyn Hernández’s story captured the attention of the world. Shining an imperative light on the criminalization of women like her. Following her release last month, she became a powerful advocate on the international stage. There are clearly many who seek to silence her.
THE SALVADORAN GOVERNMENT WILL NOT LET #EvelynHernández LIVE IN PEACE.
— Natalia del Cid (@delcidnatalia) September 6, 2019
THIS IS PERMANENT STATE PERSECUTION OF A POOR BROWN YOUNG WOMAN ORDERED BY OPUS DEI #centralamericantwitter#ElSalvador WILL NAYIB SUPPORT OR IGNORE THIS WOMAN? 🧐 https://t.co/0PpLIiFRiK
