VivirLatino

In the 21st Century, Abortion is Illegal All Over Latin America

07:19 H | Topics: Health - Justice - Latin America - Politics - Society - Women

It’s easy to forget that women throughout the world are deprived of the right to govern their own bodies. Some of us are only reminded when we realize that the right to have an abortion is something that right-wing politicians wish to take away from women here in the States. But what you may not know is that abortion is illegal in the entire Latin American region with only two exceptions: Cuba and Mexico City.

It was in Mexico City that the Mexican Supreme Court ruled last week that abortion was in fact, constitutional. A harsh blow to the Catholic church who, with this move (and others such as same-sex civil unions) seems to have lost control of largest city in the Latin world.

While other social causes are being advanced all over the region, it seems that the issue of abortion hasn’t moved an inch. To me it’s unbelievable that in countries like Argentina or Colombia abortion is still criminalized, and the only procedures that are legally carried out are the ones that aren’t decided on by the woman but by the state -- the ones deemed justifiable such as in cases of imminent death of the mother or the fetus or in cases of rape. According to Mexico’s La Jornada, Paraguay has an even stranger way of defining justifiable circumstances: “para salvar el honor de la esposa, madre, hija o hermana”. And even in that case the punishment is only cut in half, not eliminated. Even worse, in some countries such as Honduras and Peru abortion is ALWAYS illegal. No matter what.

How can Latin American leaders who call themselves progressive – the Hugo Chavezes, the Lulas and company – allow their countries to live with such antiquated and machista legislation on a topic so vital to human rights? Chile tried to make abortion legal a couple of years back and it didn’t fly. Brazil, too, but the pressure from the Church in the region's largest Catholic population is just too much to bear.

Women have risen to the post of President in some Latin American countries, yet women's rights remain just as frozen as before these strides were made. In the end, no matter who's at the helm, it's still a boys club and the Catholic Church an omnipresent social force to be reckoned with.

Via / La Jornada

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