MANAGUA, Nicaragua, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A pregnant Nicaraguan woman with cancer is being denied treatment because of the country's stringent law banning abortion, Amnesty International said Tuesday.
The 27-year-old woman, identified only as Amalia, was diagnosed with cancer Feb. 2, and doctors found it may already have spread to her lungs, brain and breasts. She is 10 weeks pregnant and has a 10-year-old daughter.
Her doctors could face criminal prosecution if treatment for the cancer harmed the fetus, the group said.
"Amalia's situation reveals the impact of this law and demonstrates the urgent need to repeal this draconian ban which prevents the delivery of timely care and impedes sound medical judgment," said Esther Major, Central American researcher for Amnesty International. "Each day is critical for Amalia's chances of survival and the Nicaraguan authorities must take immediate steps to provide her the full range of healthcare appropriate to treat her cancer."
Her doctors said Amalia needs immediate chemotherapy and radiation, both potentially harmful to her fetus.
"Nicaragua's ban of therapeutic abortions is a human-rights scandal that ridicules medical science and turns the law into a weapon against the provision of essential medical care to pregnant women and girls," Major said.
