In Ecuador, women are victims of the powerful Catholic anti-abortion lobby and a conservative judicial system. Those who can afford it can have an abortion for a few hundred dollars in a private clinic, with few repercussions. But those who don't have the financial means face a more difficult choice. Each year, around a hundred women are prosecuted for having a termination. In this highly conservative country of 17 million inhabitants, the social pressure to embrace motherhood is inescapable and pro-life groups are extremely vocal. Our reporters Justine Sagot and Juan Ignacio Dávila investigate.
Doctors, judges and prosecutors will sometimes stop at nothing to convince women of their supposed role: being a mother. In the capital Quito and other cities, our reporters Justine Sagot and Juan Ignacio Dávila met several women who had abortions and were subsequently prosecuted, as well as a feminist lawyer who is fighting for the decriminalisation of abortion. Ana Vera's battle means facing down powerful leaders, starting with President Guillermo Lasso, a member of the Catholic Church's powerful Opus Dei institution.
In this special report we also discover the fate of women who go to clandestine surgeries to have an abortion, sometimes risking their lives in the process. Meanwhile, in broad daylight, pro-life groups try to dissuade women from having a termination.
This documentary was awarded the "Coup de Pouce" prize at the 2021 FIGRA festival. It was sponsored by the CCAS with the "Bourse à la creation" and FRANCE 24 for co-production and broadcast.
