The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. May 30, 2013 El Salvador's Highest Court Rejects Bid for Life-Saving Abortion ----------------------------------------------------------------- El Salvador's top court has denied an ailing woman's request for what could be a life-saving abortion. The woman, who uses the pseudonym "Beatriz," suffers from lupus and kidney problems that her doctors say could kill her if she cannot end her pregnancy. The fetus is missing major parts of the brain and would almost certainly die after birth. In a 4-to-1 ruling, the El Salvador Supreme Court rejected Beatriz's appeal, saying the country's abortion ban is "absolute." Supporters have raised the possibility of Beatriz obtaining an abortion abroad, but doctors say that even travel could harm her health. .