Changing abortion law not on agenda: National Unity

Three of the parties in Colombia’s National Unity political coalition say that seeking a constitutional reform to end all forms of abortion is not a part of their political agenda, reports Semana.

Political parties La U, Cambio Radical and the Liberal Party said they do not support the Conservative Party’s announcement that they will seek to overturn the 2006 Constitutional Court ruling that made terminations legal if the fetus has severe deformities, the pregnancy engenders the life of the mother, or was the result of rape.

The three parties along with the Conservative Party make up President Juan Manuel Santos’ National Unity political coalition.

“This is a discussion that should not reach the Senate and is a subject exclusively of the Conservative Party’s ideology,” said Roy Barreras, senate spokesperson for Partido de la U.

New Conservative Party President Jose Dario Salazar said Wednesday that in March, the Conservatives will present a proposal to the coalition that seeks to overturn the 2006 Constitutional Court ruling that terminations in those specific cases were legal.

Liberal Party Senator Juan Manuel Galan said his party respects the ruling of the Constitutional Court, and he does not expect the proposal to make it far enough to reach the court. This position was echoed by Cambio Radical, with party co-director Senator Fuad Char saying that a change to the abortion law has not been considered within National Unity nor within his party.

The constitutional reform was also rejected by an international women’s group, with a representative saying that making all forms of abortion illegal violates sexual and reproductive rights of women.

“The worst consequence is that this will generate a lot of confusion in public opinion on whether ending a pregnancy is legal or not,” said the group’s lawyer, Monica Rosa. “It will create an area of uncertainty for women and doctors and officials that have to follow the law.”

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