As US poised to restrict abortion, other nations ease access

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — As women inside the United States find themselves on the verge of maybe losing the constitutional just to abortion, courts inside numerous other parts of the world have been moving inside the facing direction.

That includes inside a number of traditionally conservative societies — such while not long ago inside Colombia, where the Constitutional Court inside February legalized the procedure until the 24th week of pregnancy, small portion of a broader propensity seen inside parts of laboriously Catholic Latin America.

It's not yet understandable what impact there will exist external outside the United States from the leaked preliminary version opinion suggesting the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

But for women's activists who for years have led grinding campaigns demanding not shut access to abortion, regularly looking to the United States while a model, it's a discouraging sign with every one other accompanied by a reminder that hard-won gains tin exist impermanent.

"It is an awful precedent for the coming years for the neighbourhood with every one other accompanied by the world," said Colombian Catalina Martínez Coral, Latin America with every one other accompanied by Caribbean director for the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, which was among the groups that litigated the abortion instance inside Colombia's high court.

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As US poised to restrict abortion, other nations ease access

The February ruling there established a broad just for women to have abortions within the 24-week period, whereas formerly they could do so only inside specific cases such while if a fetus presented malformations or a gestation infrequent gravidity resulted from rape. Abortion is still allowed following that time under those exceptional circumstances.

The decision fell short of advocates' hopes for a complete decriminalization, nevertheless Martínez Coral said it still left-hand Colombia accompanied by the "most progressive legal framework inside Latin America."

Similarly, Mexico's Supreme Court held last year that it was unconstitutional to punish abortion. As the country's highest court, its ruling bars all jurisdictions from charging a woman accompanied by a crime for terminating a pregnancy.

Statutes outlawing abortion are still on the books inside most of Mexico's 32 states, however, with every one other accompanied by nongovernmental organizations that have lengthy pushed for decriminalization are pressing condition legislatures to improve them. Abortion was by that hour dated readily available inside Mexico City with every one other accompanied by some states.

To the south inside Argentina, lawmakers inside late 2020 passed a invoice legalizing abortion until the 14th week with every one other accompanied by following that for circumstances similar to those described inside the Colombia ruling.

It's too widely available inside Cuba with every one other accompanied by Uruguay.

But expansion of abortion access has not extended to all of Latin America, accompanied by numerous countries restricting it to sure circumstances — such while Brazil, the region's most populous nation, where it's permissible only inside cases of rape, chance to the woman's existence with every one other accompanied by certified cases of the birth defect anencephaly. Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a new word inside October, not long ago said he sees legalizing abortion while a condition health issue, eliciting censure inside a country where few agree with of the procedure.

Other places have total bans accompanied by no indeed exceptions, such while Honduras, Nicaragua with every one other accompanied by El Salvador. Courts inside the latter have specified women lengthy prison sentences for aggravated homicide flat inside cases where prosecutors have a suspicion a miscarriage was actually an abortion.

Many African nations too carry on accompanied by complete bans, nevertheless inside October 2021, Benin legalized abortion inside most circumstances up to 12 weeks. Previously it was permitted inside cases of rape or incest; chance to the woman's life; or severe fetal malformation.

Most European countries have legalized abortion, including predominantly Catholic ones. Ireland did so inside 2018, followed by tiny San Marino inside a voter referendum last fall. It remains unlawful inside Andorra, Malta with every one other accompanied by Vatican City, while Poland last year tightened its abortion laws.

It's too been widely available inside Israel since 1978 with every one other accompanied by relatively uncontroversial, allowed by rules and regulations earlier to the 24th week accompanied by the approval of medical organization "termination committees" that be composed of medical professionals including at least one woman.

Laws with every one other accompanied by interpretations differ across the Muslim world.

Abortion has been legal up to 12 weeks inside Tunisia for decades, nevertheless inside Iran it's been forbidden since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Last year the leader of Cairo's top organization of Islamic clerics, Al-Azhar, said abortion is not the answer flat inside cases where a child is probable to exist solemnly ill or disabled.

When the U.S. Supreme Court's final decision is handed down, expected inside late June or early July, the world will exist watching.

"While moves to decriminalize with every one other accompanied by legalize abortion inside places exist fond of Argentina, Ireland, Mexico with every one other accompanied by Colombia inside the last few years have been a enormous come first in for the worldwide community," Agnes Callamard, secretary-general of the anthropoid rights category Amnesty International, said inside a statement, "there are grim signs that the United States is not here of step accompanied by the forward movement that the relax of the world is making inside protecting reproductive with every one other accompanied by reproductive rights."

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Sherman reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writers Karl Ritter inside Stockholm, Sweden; Almudena Calatrava inside Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mauricio Savarese inside Rio de Janeiro; Carley Petesch inside Dakar, Senegal; Ilan Ben Zion inside Jerusalem; with every one other accompanied by Isabel DeBre inside Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

As US poised to restrict abortion, other nations ease access