Legalizing Abortion in Latin America: WSJ

After a lawyer filed suit to legalize abortion, the Constitutional Court of Colombia accepted the case to examine the issue – a breakthrough for Latin America where abortion is tightly restricted. While a few small countries including Uruguay, Cuba, and Guyana allow elective abortions, Colombia is the first regional power to consider legalizing abortion. Currently, the procedure is legal for Colombian women if the mother’s life is at risk, or in cases of rape or malformation of the fetus, with about 3 percent of Colombian pregnancies eligible, reports the Wall Street Journal. Even for legal abortions, women must endure judgment as well as different treatment in urban areas and the countryside. A 2017 poll suggests that a majority of Colombians oppose the proposal due to religious and cultural reasons. Argentina’s president has announced plans to propose a bill to legalize abortion as well. – YaleGlobal