Colombia decriminalizes abortion for up to 24 weeks
Colombia's Constitutional Court on Monday decriminalized abortion for up to 24 weeks, making Colombia the latest in a string of Latin American countries to increase access to abortion. Argentina's Congress legalized all abortions up to 14 weeks in late 2020 and Mexico's Supreme Court decriminalized the procedure last September. In Colombia, abortions were only legal in cases of rape, if the mother's life or health was in danger, or if the fetus was malformed.
The court's 5-4 ruling, following one justice recusing himself and a court-appointed tiebreaker being added to the case, also urged Colombia's Congress to come up with rules to implement the ruling.
The proponents of greater abortion rights argued that Colombia's 2006 rules were discriminatory against poorer and more rural women, telling the court that nearly all of the nearly 3,000 people prosecuted for abortions between 2006 and 2020 were in rural areas, with some girls as young as 11. At least 346 people were convicted in those cases, and the punishment is up to three years in prison, The New York Times notes. About 70 people die from illegal abortions each year in Colombia, according to the health ministry.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"As Latin American countries move to expand abortion rights, lawmakers in the United States are racing to restrict them," The Washington Post reports, and the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing "whether to weaken or overturn the 1973 landmark decision that established the right to an abortion."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
How happy is Finland really?
Today's Big Question Nordic nation tops global happiness survey for seventh year in a row with 'focus on contentment over joy'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US bans final type of asbestos
Speed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How Tehran became the world's nose job capital
Under the radar Iranian doctors raise alarm over low costs, weak regulation and online influence of 'Western beauty standards'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Africa's renewed battle against female genital mutilation
Under the radar Campaigners call for ban in Sierra Leone after deaths of three girls as coast-to-coast convoy prepares to depart
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Argentina: the therapy capital of the world
Under the radar Buenos Aires natives go hungry to pay for psychoanalysis, amid growing instability, anxiety – and societal acceptance
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Does declining birth rate spell doom for Britain?
Today's Big Question Ageing population puts pressure on welfare state, economy and fabric of society, while fertility is rising on populist agendas
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How a new blood test could revolutionise sepsis diagnosis
The Explainer Early results from ongoing trial suggest faster identification of deadly condition is possible
By The Week Staff Published
-
Seattle Children's Hospital sues Texas over 'sham' demand for transgender medical records
Speed Read Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed records of any Texan who received gender-affirming care at the Washington hospital
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published