Peru lawmakers reject bill to allow pregnant rape victims an abortion
Last edited Wed May 27, 2015, 02:59 PM - Edit history (1)
Peru lawmakers reject bill to allow pregnant rape victims an abortion
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation - Wed, 27 May 2015 17:15 GMT
BOGOTA, May 27 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Peruvian rape victims who have become pregnant have no legal option but to keep an unwanted pregnancy after Congress voted against a bill to legalise abortion in such cases, an issue that has divided ordinary Peruvians.
The vote, late on Tuesday, meant the Latin American nation kept in place a stringent law that permits abortion only if the mother's life or health is at risk.
"It has been decided to shelve this bill, which was proposed by civil society groups that aimed to decriminalise abortion, based on criteria proposed by the Congress committee that the basis of the right to life is from the moment of conception," said conservative congressman Juan Carlos Eguren.
Congressman Julio Rosas said the decision was taken to "safeguard the health of a mother and the greater interests of the unborn child."
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http://www.trust.org/item/20150527171656-rc8i4/
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