Mexico baby death trial reveals growing persecution of women who miscarry

Dafne McPherson was convicted of murder after her baby died during childbirth – part of a growing trend to criminalise women in conservative parts of the country

The day that Dafne McPherson’s life came apart began like any other: she dropped her seven-year-old daughter Lia at school, then started her shift in the children’s clothing section of the Liverpool department store in the central Mexican city of San Juan del Río.

At around 5pm, she felt a sharp abdominal cramp and spoke to the store nurse, who told her nothing was amiss. But shortly afterwards, in the second-floor bathroom, McPherson went into labour. She says she hadn’t even realized that she was pregnant.

Related: Mexican women pay high price for country’s rigid abortion laws | Allyn Gaestel

Related: US groups pour millions into anti-abortion campaign in Latin America and Caribbean

Continue reading... November 08, 2017 at 01:30PM