Colombia became the latest country in Latin America to partially legalize abortion, a significant step for feminist movements in the country and a reflection of a wider shift in attitudes about the procedure across the region.
It has been ruled that abortion is legal in the country up until 24 weeks of pregnancy, Colombia’s constitutional court announced in a statement on Monday, February 21.
As a result, abortion rights activists staged marches in Bogota, Colombia’s capital, and other major cities on Monday, after decades of fighting to remove abortion from the criminal code, CNN reports.
“We knew this was not an easy fight, but at some point, it had to happen,” said Mariana Ardila, a lawyer and women’s rights activist who signed the decriminalization petition.
“Of course, while we were hoping for full decriminalization, and we will keep fighting for it, this is an important step forward for us,” Ardila told CNN.
Abortion in Colombia has only been legal in three situations: when the life or health of the woman is at risk, if the fetus is malformed or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.
According to the court ruling, women who seek an abortion up to the 24th week of their pregnancy will not be prosecuted. Abortion after 24 weeks is still illegal, except in one of the three cases listed above.
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