- Currently, six Latin American countries prohibit abortion under any circumstances | Photo: José Daniel Ramos
Since the 1970s, the debate on the legalization of abortion has been addressed in the political sphere of different countries. Some organizations and political parties defend this practice as a human right, while other pro-life groups continue to condemn it today.
The internationalist and activist Lety Tovar assured in an interview for The Diary that abortion is considered a human right by several international organizations.
“International organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have defended that access to safe abortion is an issue of human rights and public health. The WHO, for example, considers that the restriction on abortion pushes it underground, endangering the lives of women,” explained the activist.
Despite the arguments in favor of abortion, especially on issues of public health and reproductive rights, the Catholic Church continues to reject this practice. In 2021, Pope Francis called it “a homicide.”
“Abortion is murder. Without mincing words: whoever performs an abortion kills,” he stated in statements reported by the media. EuroNews.
Legalization of abortion
The Soviet Union was the first country to authorize voluntary and free abortion. On November 18, 1920, three years after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, according to an article in BBC World.
In Latin AmericaCuba was the first country to completely decriminalize abortion, within the first trimester of pregnancy, in 1965.
In 1965, Tunisia became the first Muslim country to legalize voluntary abortion for women with five or more children. In 1973, this Arab nation legalized the right to this practice during the first three months of pregnancy, according to data published by Amnesty International in its Web page.
Currently, abortion is allowed without restrictions in approximately 60 countries. On the other hand, more than 70 countries allow abortion under specific causes, such as risk to the life or health of the pregnant woman, sexual violence or serious malformations of the fetus.
“Although access varies widely, in half of the countries in the world abortion continues to be highly restricted or criminalized legally and socially,” explained internationalist Lety Tovar.
However, he pointed out that there are still a few countries in the world that completely prohibit this practice, among them are several in the region: Honduras, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The other two states outside the American continent that prohibit abortion are the Vatican and Malta.
Countries where abortion is legalized
Legalized
Germany
Argentina
Australia
Belgium
Canada
China
Colombia
USA
France
Italia
Ireland
Mongolia
Norway
New Zealand
Netherlands
Portugal
Russia
Sweden
Swiss
Türkiye
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Allowed only if the life of the pregnant woman is at risk.
Afghanistan
Burma
Guatemala
Libya
Malawi
Nigeria
Oman
Paraguay
Syria
Senegal
Somalia
South Sudan
Tanzania
In Yemen
Venezuela
Allowed in case of rape, incest or health reasons
Saudi Arabia
Brazil
Bolivia
Chile
South Korea
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Finland
Iran
India
Indonesia
Japan
Mexico
Panama
Peru
Poland
United Kingdom
Completely prohibited
Congo
El Salvador
Egypt
The Vatican
Filipinas
Haiti
Honduras
Irak
Malta
Madagascar
Mauritania
Nicaragua
Honduras
Dominican Republic
Senegal
Surinam
Abortion in history
Although abortion has been considered taboo in the collective imagination, historians and feminist activists indicate that this practice has been carried out since ancient times.
Archaeologist Lisa Briggs stated in an interview with CNN in Spanish in 2023 that in Ancient Rome the silphium or silphium for termination of pregnancy. Briggs believes that the demand for this plant among women may have been one of the reasons, although not the only one, for its extinction.
However, Lety Tovar recalls that abortion has been considered a right since the 20th century, although several countries legalized it in the 1970s.
“Abortion has existed since ancient times, when women used natural or ritual remedies to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. However, it began to be considered a right in the 20th century, as feminist movements promoted the idea that women should have control over their own bodies and their reproductive lives,” she explained.
The risk of clandestine abortions
The expert pointed out that in countries where abortion is prohibited, many women resort to unsafe and dangerous methods, putting their lives at risk.
“It is estimated that more than 25 million unsafe abortions are performed each year, of which approximately 47,000 result in the death of the woman,” Tovar said.
Although Tovar stated that in those countries where it is prohibited, women often do not have access to medications or adequate information.
“For this reason, activists fight for abortion to be legal, safe, free and accompanied,” she stressed.
Likewise, the activist maintained that the legalization of this practice would reduce “deaths and complications from unsafe abortions, which implies lower costs for health systems.”
What about Venezuela?
In the case of Venezuela, abortion is only allowed if the pregnancy puts the life of the pregnant woman at risk. In other circumstances, it is prohibited and punishable with sentences of 12 to 30 months in prison for anyone who performs it on a woman, even with her consent, as established in article 431 of the Venezuelan Penal Code.
On the contrary, if the procedure is carried out without the woman’s consent, the penalty is 15 to 30 months in prison. If the abortion is performed, the penalty increases from 3 to 5 years in prison, while if it results in the death of the woman, it is estimated between 6 and 12 years, according to article 432.
The internationalist Lety Tovar considers that, although the country allows abortion under this condition, it is still one of the countries with the most restrictions in the region.
“In Venezuela, the law states that abortion is only allowed if the health of the parturient (i.e. during childbirth) is at risk, but this is at the discretion of health personnel, which creates a lot of uncertainty and barriers to access. to this option (…) Not even in cases of rape, incest or when a girl is sexually abused, abortion is legally allowed,” he emphasized.
In this sense, the feminist activist believes that progress should be made towards broader legalization in the country.
“In countries like Argentina or Colombia, feminist mobilization has managed to open the debate and generate changes, and in Venezuela we could move in that same direction if we continue to pressure and raise awareness among society and the authorities,” she added.
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2024-09-29 20:45:26
