Bogota, Colombia (AP) – When women in the United States are about to lose their constitutional right to abortion, the courts of many other parts of the world are moving in the other direction.
This includes many traditionally conservative communities, for example, most recently in Colombia, where the Constitutional Court legalized the procedure before the 24th week of pregnancy in February, part of a broader trend seen in Latin Catholic parts. America.
So far it is not yet known what he will do after leaving the post.
But for activists who for years have been spearheading spectacular campaigns for open access to abortion, often seen in the United States as a model, this is a frustrating sign and a reminder that hard -earned income can be permanent.
“This is a tremendous precedent for the region and the world for years to come,” said Catalina Martinez Coral, Colombia, director of Latin America and the Caribbean for the Reproductive Rights Center in New York, who is among the group they consider abortion. . In the Supreme Court of Colombia.
The February ordinance stipulates that women have a broader right to have an abortion for 24 weeks, whereas previously they could only do so in certain cases, such as if the fetus had an abortion or became pregnant after rape. . Abortion is still allowed after this period under those special conditions.
The decision did not respond to lawyers’ hopes for full decriminalization, but Martinez Coral said he still left Colombia “with the most progressive legal framework in Latin America.”
Also, Mexico’s Supreme Court last year ruled that punishing abortion was unconstitutional. As the highest court in the country, its decision prohibits any jurisdiction over the crime of termination of pregnancy committed by a woman.
Illegal abortion laws still exist in most of Mexico’s 32 states, though NGOs that have long called for decriminalization are forcing state lawmakers to reform them. Abortion is now available in Mexico City and some states.
In southern Argentina, in late 2020, lawmakers passed a bill legalizing abortion before the fourteenth week and thereafter under the circumstances described in the Colombian decision.
It is also widely available in Cuba and Uruguay.
But expanding access to abortion has not yet spread to Latin America, where many countries restrict it in certain situations – for example, Brazil, the most populous country in the region, where it is only allowed in case of rape, which puts a woman at risk. life and certified cases. Anencephaly of congenital defects. Former Presidents Luis Inacio Lula and Silva, calling for a new deadline in October, recently said they were legalizing abortion as a public health problem, sparking criticism in a country where few approve of the procedure. .
Elsewhere, there is a total ban with no exceptions, such as Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador. The latter courts sentenced the women to lengthy imprisonment for aggravated murder even though prosecutors suspected that the abortion was actually an abortion.
Many countries in Africa also maintain a total ban, but in October 2021, Benin legalized abortion for up to 12 weeks in most cases. This greatly increases safe access to the procedure after the health minister said nearly 200 women die each year from complications of secret abortions. Previously, abortion was allowed in cases of rape or incest; Risk to a woman’s life; Or severe fetal malformation.
Most European countries have legalized abortion, especially Catholics. Ireland did so in 2018, after the small San Marino referendum last fall. It is still illegal in Andorra, Malta and the Vatican, while Poland tightened abortion laws last year.
It has also been widely available in Israel since 1978 and is somewhat controversial, where the law allows up to 24 weeks with the approval of hospital “discharge committees” composed of medical professionals, including at least to a woman.
Laws and interpretations vary in the Muslim world.
Abortion for up to 12 weeks has been legal in Tunisia for decades, but has been banned in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Last year, al-Azhar, head of the Islamic Clergy Institute in Cairo, said that abortion was not the solution even in cases where the child may be seriously ill or disabled.
Abortion is only allowed in Japan for economic and health reasons and requires the consent of partners, making Japan one of the few countries in the world. Victims of sexual violence are not included in the appeal.
Despite the growing call for women to have their own decision-making power, the Japanese government, led by the ultra-conservative Liberal Democratic Party, has long focused on women’s traditional gender roles in childbirth. and child rearing.
Japan has not approved abortion pills, although the British firm’s application is being reviewed by the Ministry of Health.
Abortion has been legal in India since 1971. Women can terminate a pregnancy for up to 20 weeks, but only on the advice of a doctor. Under the 2021 changes, a woman can also request an abortion for up to 24 weeks under certain conditions such as rape or incest, although this requires the consent of two doctors.
China is trying to limit abortions, but that’s because it has one of the highest abortion rates in the world.
In September, China’s cabinet, known as the State Council, issued new national guidelines urging hospitals to “reduce the need for non-medical abortions.” In February, the China Family Planning Association announced it was launching a campaign to reduce abortion among young people.
When the final decision of the US Supreme Court, scheduled for late June or early July, is announced, the world will be watching.
“Although steps have been taken to decriminalize and legalize abortion in recent years, such as Argentina, Ireland, Mexico and Colombia, have been a great success for the global community,” said Agnes Kalamar, secretary general of Amnesty International. The statement said: “There are alarming signs that the United States is not adapting to the progress being made by the rest of the world in protecting sexual and reproductive rights.”
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Reported by Sherman from Mexico City. Associated Press writers Carl Ritter in Stockholm, Sweden; Almudena Calatrava of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mauricio Savar of Rio de Janeiro; Carl Pete of Dakar, Senegal; Some Ben Zion in Jerusalem; Isabel Debre of Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Marie Yamaguchi of Tokyo; Krutika Patti of New Delhi; And Huizhong Wu in Taipei, Taiwan contributed to this report.
Source: Huffpost
