Ketsy Medina, 40, smiles at her baby during an interview in Caracas last month. Ketsy previously had a miscarriage and felt judged by the nurses and doctors at the hospital, who treated her suspiciously as if she had caused an abortion. Venezuela, a fervently Catholic and conservative country, punishes ‘induced abortion’ with sentences of up to six years. The penalties are reduced when the abortion involves saving the ‘honour’ of the woman or her family, and the offence is pardoned if it is to ‘save the life of the woman in labour’
English (US)