Chile’s UN Ambassador to Geneva H.E Ms Maria Maurás Pérez
announced last Thursday (June 19th), during consideration of the
outcome of Chile’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations Human Rights Council in
Geneva, that its current its pro-life laws will change and that abortion will
be decriminalized in the following circumstances, in the case of rape, where a
woman’s life is in danger and when a foetus is not viable.’
Pérez told the meeting that following the election of Michele
Bachelet, as Chile’s President and the first 100 days of her Government, Chile
would introduce a new gender agenda dealing with the rights equality and
autonomy of women and will nominate a minister for women and gender equity. Ms
Pérez
explained that her government is concerned about violence and discrimination
against women and will defend further the sexual and reproductive rights of all
persons. Pérez continued by stating that her government will
decriminalize termination of pregnancy in three areas, where the life of the
mother is in danger, where a foetus is unviable and in the case of rape.
Abortion is currently
Pérez announced Chile’s commitment to implement 180 of the 185
suggestions in the UPR including a number of proposals put forth by other
member states that Chile change its longstanding stance on the protection of
the unborn.
Among the five rejected suggestions was the appeal by the
Holy See that Chile continue its legal protection of the human person from the moment
of conception, and that it safeguard marriage as being between one man and one
woman.
The basis of the review was set out in two reports
A/HRC/26/5 and 26/5 Addendum1. The main report 26/5 shows that 7 European
Countries pressured Chile to repeal all laws criminalizing abortion and to take
all necessary measures to ensure so called safe and legal abortion in cases of
rape or incest and in cases of serious danger for the health of women and a
number of countries also called on Chile to make sure that sexual and reproductive
rights are respected and protected.
It is clear from both documents 26/5 and 26/5 Addendum 1
that the intention of the previous government was to reject the pressure from
other member states
Marianne Lillebleg for Amnesty International welcomed Chile’s
rejection of the Holy See’s recommendation that Chile should uphold and respect
the rights of the human person from the moment of conception to natural death,
which she falsely claimed, could have placed women’s lives in danger.
