Between the feelings of those who defend free abortion and those who speak of respect for life came a close vote in the Chamber of the Constitutional Court that dictates the sentence of the decriminalization of abortion, until the 24th week of gestation.
The news aroused his own debate in the Valle del Cauca.
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The recognition of autonomy for women caused a feeling of joy in Cali women’s groups during the night of last Monday, where they celebrated the result of the Court on the Boulevard del Río, to the sound of rhymes such as “Safe abortion at home without fear. I also have an abortion in the hospital if I want it”.
For 15 years, abortion was considered a right under three grounds (risk to women, malformation of the fetus and violent access), by decision of the Constitutional Court of Colombia until February 21 of this year.
Critics say that the voluntary termination of pregnancy becomes a legal and free practice up to the sixth month of gestation. The ruling is a benchmark at the Latin American level that guarantees public health rights, being the country with the longest time.
The issue awakens their positions. Mayor Ospina spoke on the issue and expressed his bewilderment over time of gestation dictated by the sentence.
“For me as a doctor it is very difficult to give a favorable concept. When a pregnancy is at 24 weeks it is surmountable, they are embryos and fetuses that can be carried forward with due care. I do not agree with the temporality, ”said the president.
He expanded that “some countries make the decision to interrupt when there is a heartbeat, others when the embryo has important sensitivities. The decision has to be made in an informed manner, accompanying the mother with psychological assistance and making it soon, not such a traumatic and difficult decision when we are at 24 weeks.”
“When a pregnancy is at 24 weeks it is surmountable, they are embryos and fetuses that can be carried forward with due care. I do not agree with the temporality
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It should be noted that the decision was made when studying a lawsuit presented by the social movement Just causecomposed for various women’s organizations calling for the crime to be completely removed from the Penal Code.
The Secretary of Health of the Valley, María Cristina Lesmes, made clear her support for the Court’s decision. “I receive it with great satisfaction, the cases of clandestine abortions. We will guarantee free abortion without barriers, ”she indicated.
Laura Parra Rodriguez She is a communicator from the Universidad del Valle and a social activist since 2008, with a master’s degree in gender studies with an emphasis on interruption in the second and third trimesters in sentence C-355 of 2006, in addition to being an activist for the Women’s Social Movement of Cali; she who sees the new ruling as a measure of recognition of inequalities for Valle del Cauca.
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For the university teacher there was no equal coverage as expected with the 2006 ruling, under the three grounds. That is why he sees the new ruling of the Court as support for the public health problems of the less favored departments of the country.
“We already had problems and challenges with little equity in the regions. It is estimated that public health coverage in remote areas of the country is 35 percent, which means that the rest of the coverage is concentrated in the cities,” Parra mentioned.
He also stated that a Increased complaints from health providers of a country that implied that the first sentence of 2006 was not being effective, neither the indicators of gender violence nor the regulations had the due support in the service routes.
“It is estimated that public health coverage in remote areas of the country is 35 percent, that is, coverage is concentrated in cities”
Another of the radical stances was that of the Cali councilor for the Democratic Center party, Roberto Rodríguez, expressing his point of view through the official Twitter account of the Cali District Council.
“The Constitutional Court endorses the murder of unborn babies and no woman can go to prison for having an abortion, since the conditioned accessibility of article 122 of the Penal Code was declared,” Rodríguez said.
According to him dane The latest number of adolescent pregnancies in Colombia showed an increase of 19 percent, a number that was already high in remote departments such as Chocó or Vichada, thus the argument that showed that pregnant people were trying to shelter themselves with the sentence was evident. and the response was not satisfactory, in addition to the fact that inequality gaps were not being reduced, countered the activist from Cali.
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A second point of view of Mayor Ospina was an invitation to pregnant people based on the new order. “I think that the decision has to be made sufficiently, informed him, accompanied by mother with psychological assistance. We should not make such a traumatic and difficult decision when we are already talking about 24 weeks of gestation”, the president pointed out.
The idea that compliance with the sentence is becoming a reality has encouraged all parties to give their opinion, always emphasizing the timing of the gestation, which is why in this case Laura Parra expressed the importance of seeing the regulations as an opportunity for everyone.
“With the new sentence, the favored ones are not only the women, but also the healthcare system. Before, the medical provider was the one who certified, which was a legal responsibility for them, now they only dedicate themselves to providing the service”, said the social activist.
“With the new sentence, the favored ones are not only women, but also the health system”
“The idea that now everyone is going to have an abortion is to ignore that voluntary termination is a surgical procedure that takes time and requires adequate medical assistance, which is a procedure that not all pregnant people will decide to do all the time. weather”.
The teacher highlighted the ruling as an opportunity for more people to discover their pregnancies in time, without waiting to make a decision until the second trimester. Thus, ultrasound diagnoses increase and interruptions in the second trimester decrease.
“As a doctor, as a father, as a liberal, I thank the Court for decriminalizing abortion up to the 24th week of gestation. Fair decision. Prison was double injustice,” the Senator of the Republic for the Historical Pact, Roy Barreras, posted on his Twitter account.
Estefania Pedraza Baptist
For the time
CALI
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