Row over abortion case in Colombia

The first legal abortion has been performed since the deeply-Catholic nation legalised the procedure in May. 

Abortion is only permitted in three cases - if the mother’s life is in danger, if the fetus is badly deformed or if the pregnancy results from rape. This case involved an 11-year-old girl who was raped by her stepfather. Despite the change in the law, the girl’s case had to go all the way to the constitutional court before an abortion was authorised.

The tale of the abuse the girl had endured at the hands of her stepfather filled the Colombian papers and news broadcasts for weeks. The Catholic Church nonetheless condemned the abortion and protesters gathered outside the hospital to oppose the procedure. The pro-choice lobby believes that the May decision to legalise abortion in extreme cases was the first logical step to a general legalisation of abortion. But, claims the BBC report, with the fury aroused by this abortion, it is clear that such a step is still a way off.

First legal abortion in Colombia, BBC News, 25 August 2006