Activists urge abortion rights in Nicaragua

Issue of legalisation gains prominence in run-up to presidential polls in staunchly Catholic country.

Nicaragua activists demand abortion right

Nicaragua is heading for presidential elections, and among the issues dividing people in this mostly Catholic country is abortion.

Ahead of the voting on November 6, activists have taken to the streets of the capital, Managua, demanding that abortion be legalised.

With one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Latin America, Nicaragua is one of the few countries in the world that bans therapeutic abortions.

Rights body, Amnesty International, has criticised the country for its total ban on the procedure, even when a mother’s life is in danger.

Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman reports from Managua.

Source: Al Jazeera