Chile's abortion rights movement faces uphill battle

Chile’s abortion rights movement faces uphill battle

Advocates say fight continues despite rejection of new constitution last year that would have enshrined reproductive rights.
Protestors hold a sign at a rally in favour of abortion rights

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Chilean protesters hold a sign reading, 'Our history is resistance and rebellion' at a rally in favour of abortion rights in the capital Santiago on March 8, 2023 [Charis McGowan/Al Jazeera]
By Charis McGowan
Published On 10 Mar 202310 Mar 2023
Correction10 Mar 2023
A previous version of this story incorrectly said Siomara Molina is affiliated with Coordinadora Feminista 8M, she is not, she is the spokeswoman of the Permanent Assembly for Abortion Legalisation.

Santiago, Chile – Siomara Molina stands on the steps of the Chilean National Library on a busy street in the heart of Chile’s capital.
Waving fists in the air and wearing green scarves, symbolic of the Latin American movement for abortion rights (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/28/latin-american-activists-undeterred-despite-us-abortion-rollback), Molina and the dozens of women around her chant: “Abortion yes, abortion no, that’s my decision”. Abortion is illegal in Chile, a traditionally Catholic country, except in three limited circumstances: nonviable pregnancies, rape or risks to a mother’s life. And a years-long push by rights advocates to loosen those restrictions suffered a serious blow last year when Chileans rejected a new draft constitution that would have enshrined reproductive health and bodily autonomy as fundamental rights.

But despite the setback, as an estimated 400,000 women gathered to mark International Women’s Day in Santiago and other cities this week, access to safe, free and legal abortion remains one of the Chilean feminist movement’s key demands. “Today’s framework is one of the most restrictive in the world. It does not give women the autonomy to make decisions,” said Molina, spokeswoman for the Permanent Assembly for Abortion Legalisation. She is marching together with other feminist groups campaigning for a myriad of gender equality causes. “Breaking the social stigma is urgent, that we create actions that lead to dialogue and conversations,” she told Al Jazeera, affirming her belief in the power of protest. “The street belongs to us, and we will keep protesting.”

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Demonstrators in Chile gather to protest in favour of abortion rights, among other things, on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2023 [Charis McGowan/Al Jazeera]
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Triggered by rising costs of living, Chile was rocked by months of unrest in 2019, when Pinochet’s enduring 1980 constitution was singled out as a root cause of a lack of social welfare and gaping inequality. The social mobilisations pressured politicians to grant a referendum to rewrite the constitution in 2020, which almost 80 percent percent of Chileans approved. The first draft of the new text was written by 154 popularly-elected representatives, who were largely independents representing social and environmental movements, including members of feminist groups.

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In November 2021, deputies voted down a motion to decriminalise any abortion conducted at up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, with 62 deputies in favour and 65 against.

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Abortion rights advocates faced a setback last year when Chilean voters struck down a draft constitution that would have enshrined reproductive rights [Charis McGowan/Al Jazeera]

“We have to march with our green scarves because all of us have had abortions, or we know someone who has had an abortion,” she said. “It is a reality in Chile. We are here and we have to keep fighting.”


https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/10/chiles-abortion-rights-movement-faces-uphill-battle