Nicaragua bans abortions

The pro-lifers have chalked up an international victory with the Nicaraguan ban on all abortions passed last week. Despite EU diplomats, UN representatives, and medical representatives all arguing for patience on passing the bill, the Nicaraguan Congress went full speed ahead anyway. The bill comes at a tense political time, two weeks before the November 5 election, and is supported by all but one of the leading presidential candidates. The bill now waits on a signature from President Enrique Bolanos.

In the mostly-Catholic Nicaragua, the bill is supported by Catholics, who surprisingly joined with evangelical Protestants to lobby for its passage. The Christian Science Monitor took this opportunity to point out the rise of evangelical Protestantism in Nicaragua. Though it remains a somewhat politically divided group, seen in this case by the varying levels of support among individuals for the abortion ban, it may sway Nicaragua toward the more socially conservative side.

According to a New York Times editorial condemning the Nicaraguan law, Latin America has the highest abortion rates in the world despite the fact that their abortion laws are the strictest. Should the US take this as a prophecy as we tighten our state abortion restrictions?