Today, illegal abortions are the leading cause of death among young women in Latin America. Whether they are performed in major cities or in the isolated countryside, these 'back room' abortions are leaving thousands of young women dead each year. Guatemala has the highest fertility rate among women and yet it remains the poorest country in the region where women can ill afford large families. Unwanted pregnancies, couple with the forces of tradition and politics, leave few options for these families. Through the work of an activist and the medical team she leads, this film explores the questions of family planning, which many see as the right to life.
I couldn't help but think of comparisons between drugs and abortion throughout the video. Everyone wants to see the number of abortions and drug users reduced to zero. The criminalization of abortions and recreational drugs doesn't seem to have reduced the number of people seeking abortions or using illegal drugs.
At the same time, criminalization has increased the violence associated with both - illegal abortions that kill too many women in both Guatemala and the world and cartel violence that Guatemalans and Central Americans know all too well.
The second video is a much shorter one and covers a bit of the Colom divorce. However, I don't know who was shocked by the divorce. Disappointed. Disillusioned. Angered. Sure. Surprised or shocked? Probably not so much. Not in this country where anything is possible.
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