Uruguay: New Abortion Law Breaks Ground for Women's Rights: Blog 9

This week, new ground was gained for women’s rights in Uruguay. The President of Uruguay, José Mujica signed a bill that would eliminate penalties for abortions that occur up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy, 14 weeks for rape. This is a huge deal for Uruguay because the Latin American continent is largely restrictive of their abortion policies. The implementation of this new law means that the amount of unsafe abortion procedures will be reduced. This is important because 13% of maternal deaths were caused by unsafe abortions.  Some countries in Latin America have zero tolerance for abortions not even in instances of rape or incest. Passing this law was not a quick process. The bill itself only passed by a one vote margin, and in addition to that it took nearly a year for the bill to go through the Chamber of Deputies and key changes were made to the bill that added stipulations that need to be fulfilled before a woman can receive a lawful abortion in Uruguay. A woman who wishes to receive an abortion must tell her doctor the situation surrounding the conception as well as any reason why she would be prevented from continuing her pregnancy. The doctor then has to consult with a gynecologist, a mental health worker, and a social support specialist. This group then has to provide information and mental/ social support for the woman. Finally it is mandatory for a woman to spend five days reflecting on her decision to get an abortion. Once all of this is completed the woman can give her doctor permission to perform the procedure. In the case of rape or incest women do not have to go through this process, they just have to file a criminal complaint. Unfortunately the lengthy process of these steps may make it impossible for a woman to receive a legal abortion within the approved time frame. I think that it is great that women can now safely receive abortions in Uruguay. Though their guidelines for receiving an abortion are very specific and restrictive, in this case some progress is better than no progress. My views on abortion are pro-choice though it is not a choice I would make for myself. I don’t think that a woman should be forced to carry a child against her will especially if her life is at risk. In some ways I don’t think that some of the requirements that need to be met before an abortion can be done are bad. The mandatory reflection period may help a woman be absolutely sure that the abortion is the right choice for her to make. Sometimes an abortion may not be what a woman wants. In some cases a woman might receive pressure from her family or her partner to get an abortion. Ultimately what goes on inside of a woman’s uterus should be completely controlled by that woman who owns the uterus. Hopefully Uruguay will inspire neighboring countries with abortion bans to follow their lead and lower mother mortality rates.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/human-rights-watch/uruguay-new-abortion-law_b_2024947.html