Uruguay Passes New
Abortion Laws
President Jose Mujica of Uruguay has signed a historical
bill into law, now decriminalizing the act of female abortions in the first 12
weeks of their pregnancy. The bill is of
huge importance as it will save many lives of women of child bearing age. More than 13 percent of pregnant females who
seek illegal abortions of their children die from the unsafe procedure. Most
Latin American countries have fairly strict policies on abortion. This step is moving in the direction of more
laws in protection of women’s rights and the respect of their bodies.
The law was originally brought to the Senate in December of
2011, however it took until September of 2012 for the bill to pass by a margin
of just 1 vote. Before the agreement of
the bill to pass many changes were made.
Women seeking the procedure are required a five-day reflection period
and a counseling session to understand the consequences before they can
continue. Also, the procedure must be
approved by more than 1 practicing physician.
These requirements do not apply to those who have been victims of
rape. There, only a complaint is
required.
The passing of this piece of legislation is very important
for the advancement of human rights for those in many of the Latin American
countries whose rights are limited when it comes to their health. This is also important for women who may need
this procedure for life threatening reasons.
Taking the criminal regulations away would help more women. Having the requirements set for this
procedure is an excellent tool to ensure they are doing it for the right
reasons. Too many times I have
personally seen women seek out an abortion just because they were dumb enough
to have unprotected sex. The
requirements are something we should look to in the US.
Here is a link to the original article: http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/10/26/uruguay-new-abortion-law-breaks-ground-women-s-rights
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