While Chile remains as one of the few nations left that refuse abortions regardless of circumstances, the country is reportedly on its way to changing such restrictive laws.
President Michelle Bachelet initially put forward a proposal to get rid of punitive action for abortion two years ago, and this year, she needs the Senate’s full approval for it to become a law.
On Monday, the measure passed the Senate panel with a 3-2 vote. This new law is expected to remove criminal charges relating to abortion for up to 12 weeks of pregnancy under three conditions- if the pregnancy puts the woman’s health at risk, if the fetus is deemed as incapable of surviving the pregnancy, and if the pregnancy is the outcome of a rape incident. Moreover, in case the mother is 14 years old or younger, the 12-week maximum limit can be extended to 12 weeks.
"I believe that women should have legally the possibility of making their own choices. In this country until now this is criminalized - if you interrupt your pregnancy, you will go to jail. And I believe this is not fair," Bachelet said in a previous interview with BBC News.
"Women could be in an unhealthy situation because of rape, et cetera, and there might be women who don't want babies in that situation,” she added.
However, abortion continues to be an unlawful act in the Vatican, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Malta, and the Dominican Republic. Still, pro-choice advocates continue to express their views on the adverse effects of not being able to have an abortion as a choice during pregnancy.
According to the Chilean Ministry of Health, approximately 200,000 unsafe abortions are reported annually in the country. Over 33,000 women were admitted to hospitals due to complications brought on by unsafe abortions.
However, numerous politicians and groups in Chile continue to remain in opposition to the new law; last year, the country’s Catholic Church released an official statement, comprised of 18 pages, against decriminalizing abortion. It stated that the proposal’s approval means the country supports a “culture of death.”
