The Colombian Senate’s rejection of a total ban on abortion is a “strong blow to life,” said the country’s inspector general, a strong opponent of abortions, Wednesday.
Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez, a devout Catholic, lamented the Senate’s decision, saying “if the unborn life is not respected, we are going to expect everyone in a society to increasingly insist on individualistic and hedonistic activities.”
“The most serious thing that can happen to a legal system is that which grants the right to death on the pretext of protecting life,” Ordoñez added.
He explained that it was necessary to seek other legal actions that “protect life.”
The amendment would have altered Colombia’s 1991 constitution, which currently only permits abortions in cases of rape, congenital malformation of the fetus, or when the mother’s life is in danger.
Senator Roy Barreras criticized the proposed amendment, calling it “a step back in history and science, and it goes against the vested rights of women, to criminalize not only abortion but contraception, in vitro fertilization, stem cell therapy, or passive euthanasia.“
