Fwd: Petition (Honduras): A crime to use birth control

[Hannah Ryan]

. In just a few hours, I’ll be standing in front of the Honduran Congressional Building to personally deliver 730,000 petitions to stop Honduras from imprisoning women who use emergency contraception. Will you be 730,001? . The feeling on the ground here in Honduras is tense, but positive. Emergency contraception is vital for women, and we are doing everything we can to stop the Congress from passing a bill that will imprison women for using it. But the reality here is bleak. Sexual violence against women is rampant. To make matters worse, those who protest against injustice in Honduras are often met with brutality But I will not be alone today. Hundreds of brave Honduran protestors will join me in front of the Congress along with our partners at Avaaz and Centro de Derechos de Mujeres. I hope I can also count on your signature to give me strength. Working together, we will stop this bill once and for all. . Thank you for taking a stand, . Alejandra Cárdenas Legal Adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ . . 5 Days to Reach 1 Million Actions Time is running out. TAKE ACTION to stop Honduras from imprisoning women who use emergency contraception and the doctors who prescribe it.   Dear Joyce,  The tide is turning in Honduras. More than 705,000 people from 80 countries have taken action to oppose Honduras’s attempt to outlaw emergency contraception. And the Honduran Congress has taken notice. Our partners in Honduras, Centro de Derechos de Mujeres, just reported that what had seemed like a “done deal” a few weeks ago may no longer be the case. “The momentum in Honduras has completely changed, and it’s thanks to the outrage pouring in from people around the world. I think we can actually stop this law.” I do, too, but time is running out. Take action—help us put a stop to this bill right now.We’ll deliver the signatures directly to Congressional President Hernández the next day and make sure the world is watching. Honduras boasts the highest teen pregnancy rate in Central America, but forbids sex education and harshly limits access to birth control. And abortion is already banned under all circumstances, with no exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. And now, if this bill passes, women taking emergency contraception, and any doctor who prescribes it, will be jailed for up to six years. We cannot let this happen. Time is short, but we can stop this bill right now. Take action—tell Congressional President Hernández not to make Honduras the region's most repressive country against women. Emergency contraception is vital for women everywhere, but especially where sexual violence against women is rampant, unplanned pregnancy rates are high, and access to regular birth control is limited. Together, we can kill this bill and make sure the women of Honduras have options. Thanks, as always, for all you do, Nancy Northup President & CEO PS - Alejandra Cárdenas, the Center’s Legal Advisor for Latin America, has trained and led local Honduran activists to fight this bill since its introduction in 2009. She’ll be hand-delivering your petition on May 16th. Make an urgent gift now to support our fight in Honduras and the global battle to reclaim our reproductive rights >