PORT OF SAN JOSE, Guatemala: Guatemala's army detained a boat carrying a supply of abortion pills on Thursday and prevented it from picking up women seeking to end their pregnancies, saying the move was prohibited by the country's constitution. The boat, operated by Dutch nonprofit Women on Waves, was in military custody with some of its seven crew members still aboard, after landing at a private pier at the Port of San Jose, 75 miles (120 km) south of the capital, said Leticia Zenevich, a spokeswoman for the group. "The military will not permit this group to carry out its activities in the country," the military said in a formal complaint to the prosecutor's office issued on instructions from President Jimmy Morales. For its mission to Central America, the organization said in a statement: "The ship can provide women with free legal medical abortions till 10 weeks of pregnancy after sailing to international waters, 12 miles outside Guatemala." In Guatemala, where Catholic and Evangelical churches hold powerful influence, abortions are only permitted if a mother's life is at risk. Image copyright AFP Image caption The Guatemalan Army patrolled waters near the Dutch boat

The group says more than 60,000 illegal abortions are performed in Guatemala every year, and most of the women who put their lives at risk at the hands of untrained professionals are poor.
The Guatemalan army blockades a ship from the Dutch NGO Women on Waves that provides material for abortions.