CHILE
A Swansong
In another landmark ruling, Chile’s Supreme Court voted to approve a bill that would relax a total ban on abortions that dates to the era of dictator Augusto Pinochet.
The court ruled that abortions are justified after rape, if the mother’s life is at risk or if the fetus is not expected to survive the pregnancy, ending a conservative challenge to a law approved after two years’ debate in the Chilean Congress, the BBC reported.
Chile had been among seven countries that prohibited abortion under any circumstances, along with Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Malta, The Vatican and Dominican Republic.
The fight to relax the absolute ban has been underway since 1991, but was seen to be imminent when President Michele Bachelet was elected in 2013. The easing of restrictions is viewed as the abortion-rights supporter’s swansong as she leaves office, the BBC said.
Previously, doctors and patients faced up to five years in prison for performing or undergoing an abortion. Nevertheless, as many as 70,000 illegal abortions were performed every year.
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