translated from Spanish: Member Camila Rojas for decriminalization of abortion project: “Is not a fad”

in the middle of the development of the fourth wave of feminist and discussion by l emancipation of women regarding the reproductive role, this Tuesday is presented in Congress a project for the decriminalization of abortion that seeks to “ending the criminalization of women who abort”, explained the Member of Frente, Camila Rojas (IA).
The initiative was drafted by the Corporación Humanas and backed by the Bureau of action by abortion. In December of last year began talks with elected members and in exercise, and in March this year began negotiations with the members of the Frente Amplio, part of the Communist Party, Socialist, the PPD and the PRO, for your presentation.
The project aims to modify the articles 342, 344 and 345 of the Penal Code, “and what it does is to decriminalize up to 14 weeks”, stressed the Deputy Rojas, who explains that the number of weeks was a point of discussion among the sponsors.
-The latest social protests have called for the legalization of abortion, but this is not a project of free abortion.
-No, it is not a project of free abortion, nor of legal abortion. And it is not because we do not want it, or because some of us don’t agree with that, but because parliamentary motion is much more restricted content that may occur. In the case of abortion legal or free, you have to ensure the provision and resources, and we – the members – we have authority for that, so opted for decriminalization.
-The figures of the judiciary designated until 2016, one of every three women judged by abortion ended up being convicted. The objective aims to reduce these figures?
-The effect of approving this project has to do with the non-criminalization of women that they abort. What happens today is that if a woman aborts and uses a hospitable venue for complications the medical personnel is obliged to denounce it. Therefore, while the women who choose to have an abortion and end up in a medical room are not going to jail as such, but if they end up engaged in a criminal trial, the effect of this project is precisely not occurring this.
One of the most direct consequences is to many women who suffer complications from the hospital out of fear, and some of them end up dying, to us seems important to change that situation. Therefore, it is not crime implies that women attend the hospital grounds without fear of being reported, and on the other hand, that the medical staff either, even harming professional secrecy, may be exposed to denounce women.
-Is extended to all who are involved in some way in abortion?
-Yes, it is for everyone. Women who abort today do not attend hospitals for fear of criminalization. It is important to make the assertion that today there are abortions in Chile, occurring in hiding, that there are clinics that perform abortions in better conditions than those carried out in unsafe conditions. You are looking for through the discussion and the possibility that this project be approved, then, is matching the conditions of those women who today may be retained to go to the hospital site – but this is decriminalized, would have thought extend the social legalization of abortion?
-In a personal way and from the broad front, you are looking for is that it be legalized, and therefore to ensure delivery. However, the possibility exists the number of abortions that exist through this possible decriminalization women are afraid to attend hospital after an abortion, what we see is. Obviously the realization of abortion remains in hiding, because for its legalization would have to ensure conditions and other accesses, however we believe that it is very important to not criminalize one-step.
-Then see it as a gateway to that discussion?
-Step to discuss, that occur in some of the commissions of the Chamber, and then we can see it in room, for us it is a chance to go forward, not staying in what was only the abortion on three grounds, with all the limitations that have had in its implementation, but which go one step further in this respect.
-The Government announced a veto for projects that are in the line of the decriminalization or legalization of abortion beyond the three grounds, arguing that it is not time to give the discussion… – the President Piñera and Chile will have said that they will veto the discussion This is an authoritative answer to a discussion that is democratic, therefore, the first call is to give us a chance to give this debate. The initiative is not a whim, there is a history of abortion in Chile, Memch (moving Pro-emancipacion the women of Chile) in the 1930s proposed this discussion, the biological emancipation of women, the possibility of the non mandatory maternity leave, by the Meanwhile, there is a history of abortion in Chile and an international context. We are not giving a faddish debate, as stated in an editorial of a newspaper, but a debate that is in full force.

Original source in Spanish