A year since being legalized, abortion is saving women’s lives in Colombia
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Loading... - Freja Jensen
- 18 Apr 2023
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After decades of having to obtain clandestine and dangerous illegal abortions, since Colombia legalized the procedure hardly any women have been coming to the Orientame (Guide Me) clinics around the country bleeding or in pain from badly performed procedures.
It’s a legal change that’s been saving lives in the South American country.
“Since the (decriminalization) ruling came out, treating improperly done abortions has taken a nosedive,” said Luisa Fernanda Alvarez, the coordinator of the non-profit foundation’s programs to provide help on matters of sexual and reproductive health in cities around Colombia.
On Feb. 21, 2022, the Constitutional Court decriminalized voluntary abortion up to the 24th week of pregnancy, a move that has translated into the fact that “women know that they can ask for an abortion when they need it,” Laura Gil, one of the activists with the Causa Justa movement that pushed for legalizing the procedure, told EFE.
Women can freely request that their pregnancies be interrupted now and “it’s rare to find patients with incomplete abortions at this point,” said Alvarez, although they do continue to occur in areas where there are still barriers to the legal procedure, like in rural zones.
Every woman in Colombia who wants an abortion prior to the 24th week of pregnancy has only to ask for a medical appointment and, at that time, “mechanisms are activated so that she can get a consultation where they assure her that they’re going to provide the service within the next five days,” said Gil, who is a gynecologist and an obstetrician. Read More…
