Belizean Women Share Powerful Testimonies on Abortion

The abortion debate is no longer just about laws and policy. It is increasingly being shaped by deeply personal stories from Belizean women whose experiences have led them to very different conclusions. As emotions and opinions run high, mothers, survivors, and advocates are stepping forward to explain why they stand where they do. For one mother of three, her life experiences have strengthened her commitment to protecting unborn children and supporting women through unplanned pregnancies. Others, drawing from their own encounters with high-risk and life-threatening pregnancies, insist that women must retain the right to make decisions about their own health and bodies. As the national conversation continues, these personal accounts are putting a human face on one of Belize’s most divisive issues. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

What would you do if you learned you were never supposed to be here? For one Belizean mother, that discovery shaped her views on one of the country’s most divisive issues. As the national debate over abortion rights continues, Shawla Leslie is sharing a deeply personal story, saying she survived an attempted abortion before birth. Now a mother of three, Leslie says that experience fuels her pro-life convictions and is driving her to speak out as Belize wrestles with the question of abortion.

 

Shawla Leslie, Pro-Life Advocate

“I certainly am pro-life simply because I wanted to be alive, and I would have wanted that I am able to make that choice and not anybody else that would not be living in my life.”

 

According to Leslie, her mother attempted to abort her at a late stage in her pregnancy. However, she survived and was instead adopted by another  family. Now, as the conversation about abortion gains momentum across Belize, she believes more emphasis should be placed on the value of life.

 

Shawla Leslie

“What I don’t see is the value of life. I don’t see the value for the life of the child. I don’t see the responsibility that a couple, both male and female, would take in order to not become pregnant. I am not seeing that. I am only seeing the conversation as it relates to after she has become pregnant.”

 

As a mother herself, Leslie says she’s been on the other side of the situation after facing a life-threatening situation during her first pregnancy.

 

Shawla Leslie

“The doctor said that my kidney, called hydronephrosis, is growing. The baby is also growing, and he told me I needed to make a choice. That choice would be you choose your kidney or you choose your child. In his words, “Both cannot live inside.” I chose life, and I chose trust in God, and I made a promise to myself that I will sacrifice my own life for a child that cannot help herself. I am still alive, and that child is very, very alive as well.”

 

As Belizeans weigh in on the abortion debate, many are drawing from deeply personal experiences. For journalist and mother Cherisse Halsall, pregnancy, miscarriage, and childbirth reinforced her belief that reproductive choices should remain with the woman facing the risks. She argues that pregnancies can become dangerous or unviable without warning, leaving lasting physical and emotional consequences. Meanwhile, Belize Family Life Association’s Executive Director Joan Burke is calling for greater investment in reproductive healthcare and education, saying stronger support for women and girls is key to building healthier families and communities.

 

Joan Burke, Executive Director, BFLA

“ We know that Belize has the second highest adolescent pregnancy rate throughout the region, and that is not something that we should be proud of, not in today’s age, right? And I want to encourage the decision makers for us to revisit the decision when it comes to comprehensive sexuality education, because that is one vehicle where we equip individuals, both males and females, because the females, they don’t have babies on their own. We equip both males and females with the right information to make informed decisions for their sexual health and wellness.”

 

Burke says Belize’s high rate of adolescent pregnancies points to deeper social challenges. She is calling for stronger sexual and reproductive health education and better support for women and girls. At the same time, Leslie is urging the country to strengthen family support systems, saying the abortion debate should focus on helping mothers, protecting unborn children, and encouraging informed decisions about sex and parenthood. Britney Gordon for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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