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Abortion law in Uruguay

The process of liberalizing abortion law in Urugruay continues. This article, in The New York Times, does a little comparing of Uruguay with other South American countries.

Uruguay's law tracks what I think is the general American consensus on abortion: abortions in early pregnancy generally allowed, abortions in middle-and-later stage pregnancy generally prohibited with exceptions for rape and health concerns. (Americans would also likely endorse a right to choose abortion in cases of incest or severe fetal deformity.)

Its regulations 'around' abortion (a five-day waiting period of reflection, for example), however, would be strongly opposed by pro-choice groups in the United States.

Another difference is how the language of the law frames abortion. The original version of the bill indicated that abortion in the first trimester was a 'right.' The modified bill removes that reference to cast the change in abortion law more as a form of 'decriminalization.' This may be playing semantics, but culturally this might ease the transition a bit. Legislators and constituents may be more comfortable with resignation to a reality than assertion of a right.

For additional analysis, see my earlier post on Uruguay. Note that the law that was passed by the lower legislative chamber appears different than the one passed by the Senate. I don't know if that reflects inaccurate reporting or genuine modification of the lower house bill by the Senate.

Links:

Article in New York Times (October 17, 2012): Uruguay Senate Approves First-Trimester Abortions

Article in The Huffington Post (October 17, 2012): Uruguay takes historic step legalizing abortion

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