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Bolivia women's rights groups hope revised law is step toward legal abortion
Procedure is currently illegal save for cases of rape, incest and health crises, a policy that activists say has encouraged dangerous clandestine abortions
Myles McCormick in La Paz
Friday 7 July 2017 05.00 EDT
Women’s rights groups in Bolivia hope that an overhaul of the country’s penal code could lead to a relaxation of the country’s restrictive abortion rules – and may even mark a stepping stone towards eventual decriminalisation.
In the coming weeks, the lower house of congress is expected to debate an article in the code that would broaden the conditions under which an abortion could be performed.
“We consider that as a minimum, everything that has been proposed is likely to be incorporated into the new code,” said Tania Nava, director of Catholics for the Right to Decide in Bolivia.
Under the country’s current penal code, abortion is outlawed in Bolivia save for cases of rape, incest and danger to the health of the woman. Until recently, terminations under these circumstances had to be authorised by a judge.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jul/07/bolivia-abortion-law-womens-rights-penal-code