This week in the lower house, the bill that modifies the Penal Code in order to decriminalize abortion up to 14 weeks of gestation was approved in general. Measure that, although it does not legalize or establish security conditions for women at the time of abortion, but avoids the criminalization of those pregnant people who decide to carry out the voluntary interruption of a pregnancy. Punishment ranging from three years and one day to five years in prison.
In this context, the College of Midwives and Midwives of Chile highlighted the progress made in the Chamber of Deputies in the field of abortion, since they consider that measures like this are necessary to shorten the gender gap and existing inequality. Since outside the already existing causes, there is a large gap between those who have the resources to access a safe termination of pregnancy and those who do not.
Since as the president of the midwife organization, Anita Román, points out, “with or without law, women who make this decision will advance equally in the interruption of their pregnancy. What this country has to protect is (women against) that inequality that occurs because only those (people) who can pay have security,” he told Radio Cooperativa.
From the organization they look “with very good eyes this legislative process, which we hope will come to fruition (…) In that we believe that this law can move forward,” added the president of the body.
Now, the approved parliamentary initiative will return to the Committee on Women and Gender Equity of the Lower House for debate in particular. However, let us remember that, after his last step in that instance, it had been rejected by a close difference of only one vote.
