The prohibition of abortion in El Salvador is an example of a direct legal barrier to SRH access. However many of the barriers are indirect, resulting from:

• conflicting interpretations and perceptions of the law relating to age of consent, parental consent and provision of services
• prevailing cultural norms, stigma, shame, and taboo around youth sexuality 
• lack of confidence in confidentiality
• myths about contraception and lack of accurate education about sexuality
• lack of positive legal protection of young people’s rights and LGBT rights
• discretionary and therefore uneven implementation of those protective and facilitative laws that do exist
• the culture of machismo, gender discrimination and the prevalence of gender-based and sexual violence

Includes:

• Implications for law and policy on a broad range of factors impacting access