Woman Imprisoned for Two Years Over Stillbirth

Evelyn Hernández, a rape survivor, gave birth to a stillborn. She was accused of inducing an abortion and spent 33 months in a prison in El Salvador.

Transcript

00:00It's a miracle!

00:02It's a miracle!

00:04We are the New Yorkers!

00:23Thank God He did justice.

00:25All this time has been hard to be in there

00:28to know how they used me for something that I was innocent.

00:32My future is to continue studying and get my goals done.

00:38This freedom and this closure and absolution of Ebenin

00:43would not have been possible if you were not here.

00:47She was pregnant, determined, and gave birth in a uterus.

00:52She had a pretty profound bleeding

00:55and she was in hypovolemic shock.

00:58Immediately after receiving her and seeing the signs that she had given birth

01:02and did not have the product,

01:04the emergency doctor called the police and the prosecution

01:08and the criminal process against her began.

01:11The autopsy of this corpse establishes as cause of death

01:14aspiratory pneumonia.

01:16Therefore, I believe that the prosecution cannot prove

01:20the will to kill or the pain that has existed

01:23by Ebenin to end the life of the newborn.

01:38The prosecution, since April 2016,

01:42has been accusing her of aggravated homicide.

01:45The truth is that births in the uterus are quite frequent,

01:48especially in rural areas,

01:51in poor women with a fairly low educational level.

01:56And yes, the prosecution always typifies it as aggravated homicide.

02:09I really did not know she was pregnant.

02:12I would have expected it with pride and joy.

02:18I am thrilled.

02:27In this country, due to the absolute penalization of abortion,

02:31it is very difficult to assume these lawsuits.

02:34Almost all people are against it, right?

02:37Without knowing the cases, people want women to be condemned.

02:41And I believe that if women's organizations

02:44did not play such a belligerent role

02:46and the media coverage, especially of international media,

02:51the freedom of these women could not be achieved.

03:04I do not stop thanking her because I have always been here.

03:08Yes we can!