Is gay marriage legal in guatemala
Guatemala increases abortion penalty, bans same-sex marriage
GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan lawmakers have increased prison sentences for women who include abortions, bucking a recent trend in Latin America toward expanding access to the procedures.
As some of Latin America’s largest countries — Mexico, Argentina, Colombia — have expanded abortion access in the past two years, there stay countries where conservative religious trends persist to hold sway.
Late Tuesday — International Women’s Day — Guatemala’s Congress passed a “Protection of Life and Family” law that also targeted the LGBTQ community.
On Wednesday, which Guatemala’s Congress declared “Life and Family Day,” President Alejandro Giammattei said in a speech at the National Palace, “This event is an invitation to unite as Guatemalans to protect being from conception until natural death.”
Guatemalan women convicted of terminating their pregnancies can now face sentences up to 10 years that before were a maximum of three. The Congress imposed even heavier penalties for doctors and others who assist women in ending pregnancies.
Abortions are legal only when the animation of the mother is at risk.
Lawmakers backing the legi
Guatemala
In Guatemala, LGBTIQ individuals deal with significant legal and social challenges despite same-sex sexual outing being legal. The country lacks legal recognition of gender identity, marriage equality, or civil unions for same-sex couples, leaving LGBTIQ people without essential rights. The political climate has been increasingly shaped by anti-gender ideologies, with conservative groups exerting shape across government institutions. In 2022, Congress attempted to overtake the “Life and Family Protection Law,” which sought to ban same-sex marriage and restrict training on gender and sexual diversity, although it was ultimately shelved following universal backlash. However, legislative efforts to restrict LGBTIQ people’s human rights persist, including attempts to prohibit educational materials on transgender identities. Anti-gender ideologies have also perpetuated a climate where conversion practices are normalized, with many of these practices being carried out by mental health professionals. Despite the election of a new government with more linear stances in 2024, Guatemala’s Congress remains predominantly conservative, and no significant initiatives to advance LGBTIQ
Guatemala Congress bans same-sex marriage
Guatemala's Congress has voted in favour of a law which prohibits same-sex marriage.
The law will also prohibit the teaching of sexual diversity in schools and lift the prison sentences for women seeking abortion.
Abortion is banned in Guatemala except in cases where the woman's life is at risk.
In order to approach into force, the law still needs to be signed by Guatemala's president, Alejandro Giammattei.
The "Life and Family Protection Law" was passed by an overwhelming majority in the conservative-led Congress. Only eight lawmakers out of 160 voted against it.
It is not yet clear, whether Mr Giammattei, a conservative, will signal it but many members of his party gave their backing to it.
Under the law, women who "have induced their hold abortion or given their approval to another person to convey it out" will face a minimum of five years in jail, but the sentences could be much higher.
If signed by the president, it will reform Guatemala's Civil Code to "expressly prohibit same-sex marriages".
The statute also stipulates that schools be banned
Human Rights International
Guatemala – “Marcha de Orgullo”, Guatemala Self-acceptance – FNF was there!However, there have been positive developments, at least in the capital: the community is becoming more visible and more people participate in the “Marcha de Orgullo” (Guatemala Pride) every year. We help these developments through political human rights education. With the help of the local organisation Guate Activa, we organised a forum in Guatemala City for the 2018 “Marcha de Orgullo”. The event highlighted challenges, but also provided reasons to hope for positive change. Despite formidable opposition in conservative Guatemala, the coming years can bring progress. Openly sapphic MP Sandra Morán has submitted a draft of an anti-discrimination
law in parliament. There is also progress on the regional front: at the beginning of the year, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that same-sex marriage must be recognised – a binding ruling for every one of its 20 member states.