SW News: The President of Colombia Iván Duque has condemned the "appalling" decriminalization of abortion up to 24 weeks by the Constitutional Court. Decrying the verdict, the President said that it evaded the Congress and the Catholic population of the country.
Pointing out that the new ruling is a concern, President Duque said, "Five people (judges) cannot impose on the nation something as heinous as allowing life to be interrupted up to six months" of pregnancy. He further added that the discussions were not about life during pregnancy but life about to be born.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops of Colombia also expressed their "perplexity and deep pain" after the decision of the Constitutional Court on February 21 to expand access to abortion. In a statement issued on February 22, the bishops asserted that "upholding that the rights to life and to receive the protection of the state, protected by the Constitution, they do not shelter him from the moment of his conception, it is an affront to human dignity."
According to a 2006 judgment by the same court, abortion was allowed in the instances of rape or incest or if the mother's health is at risk or if the fetus had a fatal deformity. Aside from these exclusions, those who seek abortion and administer it received imprisonment ranging from 16 to 54 months. Under the new law, until the 24th week of gestation, abortion will not be a punishable crime, regardless of the reason for which it is performed. With the new verdict, Colombia has become the fifth Latin American country to decriminalize abortion access, alongside Argentine, Uruguay, Cuba, and Guyana.