Abortion brings bishops and feminists together in Bolivia
March 23, 2017

"Any abortion is a crime,” claimed Evo Morales, Bolivia’s president, in 2013. However, he also acknowledged that he was not an expert on the topic and expressed his willingness to discuss it with female ministers.

Now the issue is high on the agenda again as Mr. Morales’ party, the Movement for Socialism (MAS), last week presented a controversial bill to decriminalise abortion during the first eight weeks of pregnancy in situations of extreme poverty. Parliamentary President Gabriela Montaño said the reform is an adjustment of the criminal code to the Bolivian reality, in which “the poorest women die in clandestine clinics for badly practiced abortions”.

The bill also stipulates that students and women with at least three children would be eligible for an abortion. Bolivia is one of the countries in Latin America that already views rape, abduction, incest and health risks for the mother as possible exceptions to allow abortions. However, civil society organisations say women face difficulties in obtaining the necessary authorisation.

Continued at source: The World Weekly: https://www.theworldweekly.com/reader/view/magazine/2017-03-23/abortion-brings-bishops-and-feminists-together-in-bolivia/9845