Chile’s Congress Approves Abortion in Limited Cases<br />Conservative lawmakers are hoping the Constitutional Tribunal, which has eight male and two female judges, will find<br />that the law is at odds with a provision of Chile’s Constitution that protects the life of the unborn.<br />3, 2017<br />SANTIAGO, Chile — Lawmakers in Chile approved legislation permitting abortion under limited<br />circumstances, a breakthrough for an important policy goal of President Michelle Bachelet.<br />Claudia Dides said that The Tribunal has the opportunity to dignify Chilean women by restoring a right they had<br />until 1989, respecting their autonomy to make decisions in situations as painful as these three scenarios,<br />Opposition lawmakers have argued the law would prompt false rape claims<br />and said medical professionals who objected to abortion on moral grounds should not be forced to perform the procedure.<br />The new law authorizes terminating a pregnancy if it endangers the life of the<br />mother; when the fetus is unviable; and when pregnancy resulted from rape.<br />A public opinion poll conducted by the research firm Cadem last month found<br />that 70 percent of respondents supported legalizing abortion under the criteria described in the law.
