maximum sentences for the crime of abortion and established procedures for obtaining an abortion in cases of rape. In the Yucatan, abortion is allowed for "economic reasons" if the woman already has three children (Mariner, 2005).
             In Central America and the Caribbean, the debate on reproductive rights and abortion has not made much progress. Also, in the past decade, some countries have even taken steps backward. In 1973 El Salvador decriminalized abortion in cases of rape, risk of maternal death and severe fetal defects, but in 1997 it amended its penal code to ban abortion in all circumstances. Two years later, the constitution was changed to protect the right to life from the moment of conception. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, since this law was passed, dozens of women, most of them young, poor and uneducated, have been criminally prosecuted for abortion. The rightwing party in power since the 1990s, supported by the church hierarchy, rejected any possibility of abortion reform (Mariner, 2005).
             In 2006, Colombia legalized some abortions. Previously, all abortions were completely banned, and it was estimated that as many as 4
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