Colombia decriminalizes abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy

The Constitutional Court of Colombia decriminalized abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, Monday, February 21, an unprecedented decision in this predominantly Catholic country and which comes in a context of liberalization of the termination of pregnancy in Latin America.

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In its judgment, the Constitutional Court authorizes women to have recourse to abortion for any reason up to the sixth month of gestation. Until now, this was only allowed in cases of rape, if the health of the mother was in danger or when the foetus presented a malformation compromising her survival, according to a 2006 judgment of the Court, which provided for conscientious objection for doctors who did not want to carry out an abortion.

Apart from these exceptions, women who had recourse to abortion were liable to a prison sentence of 16 to 54 months. From now on, “the act of abortion will only be punishable if it is performed after the 24th week of gestation”, the Constitutional Court said in a statement. In this case, the conditions already set by the court will remain in place, said the magistrates.

Colombia, with a Catholic majority and where the Protestant Christian churches exercise great influence, thus becomes the fifth in Latin America to relax the conditions for access to abortion. This practice is already authorized in Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba and Guyana, and in some Mexican states.