Every day, the correspondents’ club describes how the same news story is illustrated in other countries.
On the occasion of World Day for the Right to Abortion, Thursday September 28, in France the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights calls for the right to abortion to be included in the Constitution “without delay”. Strictly banned in some countries, heavily restricted in others, access to abortion remains a fragile right around the world. We are going to Chile and Tunisia.
In Chile a right limited to three specific cases
In Chile, since the process for a new constitution was launched four years ago, abortion has continually come up in the debate. First, the country almost became the first in the world to include abortion in its constitution, but today, it is the right and the extreme right who are at the helm of the constitutional machine, and they are strongly oppose it.
Since 2017, Chilean women have been allowed to have an abortion but in only three cases. If there has been rape, if the woman’s life is in danger or if the fetus is not viable. According to figures from the Ministry of Health, over the last six years, more than 3,600 women have used the legislation and therefore had a legal abortion. But obviously, these figures are far from reality. Every year, hundreds of other women have clandestine abortions. Next December, Chileans will be asked to vote for or against the proposed constitution of the right and the extreme right. If they approve it, the current abortion law could simply be overturned.
In Tunisia a legal right in theory more than in practice
On September 26, 1973, more than a year before France, Tunisia under Habib Bourguiba authorized the right to abortion up to three months of pregnancy. A source of pride for Tunisian civil society. However, as we celebrate 50 years of this right, feminist associations are sounding the alarm. Between the text and reality, there is a gap that is widening more and more. Paradoxically, it is because of the freedom of expression acquired with the revolution of 2011. Conservative voices, until then stifled by the Ben Ali regime, have emerged.
The law does not provide for any restrictions on access to abortion. But in practice, conservative men no longer hesitate to raise their voices. There is also a certain complicity within the administration. If the law is clear, other administrative texts complicate the procedures for obtaining an abortion. In addition to these societal obstacles, there is also an economic obstacle. In the midst of the crisis, Tunisia is having difficulty obtaining certain drugs, starting with abortion pills which are not the priority of the central pharmacy of Tunisia, which has a monopoly on importing drugs.