Colombia’s Conservative Party has demanded that priority be given in Congress to a constitutional reform bill that would definitively prohibit all forms of abortion.
Conservative Senator and spokesperson Hernan Andrade wants the issue of abortion to be the first dealt with by Congress next week, saying “first things first, and therefore we must discuss the right to life and the absolute prohibition of abortion.”
According to Senator Andrade, in order to properly respect the right to life, and adeqautely deal with the 400,000 abortions that take place annually in Colombia, the complete prohibition of abortion is neccessary.
Conservative senators seek to overturn the 2006 constitutional ruling that made abortion legal in certain specific circumstances, such as in the event of rape, the endangerment of the life of the mother or the congenital malformation of the fetus.
According to Andrade, “we don’t want the issue of abortion to be drowned out, as it is a leading issue for the Conservative party and Colombian society.”
Chile and El Salvador are the only two countries in South America where abortion is illegal under all circumstances.
Political parties La U, Cambio Radical and the Liberal Party have said that do not support the Conservative Party’s announcement that they will seek constitutional reform on the abortion issue.
