Therapeutic Abortion Faces Political Resistance in Chile

Nearly a quarter century after Chile’s return to democracy, there is still a lack of political will to legalise therapeutic abortion, analysts say, even though Congress is debating several draft laws on the question. Natalia Flores, executive secretary of the Observatory on Gender Equity, says the legislation currently in place, which bans abortion under all circumstances, restricts the fundamental rights of women. “In Chile, the fact that abortion is illegal for any reason makes women second-class citizens, because they are not allowed to make decisions about their bodies, which is their basic territory,” she told IPS. Therapeutic abortion refers to the termination of a pregnancy when the mother’s life is at risk, the foetus is deformed or dead, or the pregnancy is the result of incest or rape. Chilean women had access to therapeutic abortion for over 50 years, until the 1973-1990 dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet made it illegal in 1989, just a few months before the transition to democracy. Several attempts to decriminalise abortion in cases where the mother’s life is at risk or the foetus has severe birth defects have failed in the legislature due to the votes of the right-wing coalition currently governing the country, along with the more conservative sectors in the centre-left Concert of Parties for Democracy. But the case of a pregnant 11-year-old girl who had been sexually abused for two years by her stepfather triggered an unprecedented debate in Chil...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Active Citizens Civil Society Development & Aid Editors' Choice Featured Gender Headlines Health Human Rights Latin America & the Caribbean Population Poverty & MDGs Regional Categories TerraViva Europe TerraViva United Nations Source Type: news