Chile: One More Step Toward Legalization of Abortion

After more than a year of legislative debate, the abortion bill finally took another step in the lower chamber Tuesday to decriminalize abortion in three specific situations – when the woman's life is in danger, when she has been raped or when the fetus is diagnosed as unviable.

A legislative commission approved the funding planned for the implementation of the abortion bill with a 8-5 vote. The legislation will now be debated in a plenary session next Tuesday and Wednesday.

The funds will be allocated to programs meant to support women who wish to abort, among others purposes.

Minister of Justice Claudia Pascual welcomed the vote, saying “today we strengthened the project.”

However, former Senator Soledad Alvear from the Christian Democratic Party criticized the program for not truly supporting women who had been raped and wished to abort, but only “counseling them.”

One provision, she also deplored, did not take into account the fact that the fetus was a human being. In her opinion, Chile also lacks medical experts that can diagnose the fetus inviability.

The Christian Democrats, part of the governing coalition, have nevertheless been one of the main opponents against the abortion bill, especially the provision allowing the procedure in case of rapes.