A coalition of “center-left” legislators seeking to win legislation designed to improve sexual and reproductive rights, reported the Chilean Times. The bill includes clauses such as the right to be sexual outside of the context of reproduction and the liberty to choose one’s sexual partner. Also, the current requirement for physicians and midwives to report women who have undergone treatment for complications from abortions to the police would be removed. Women who have undergone treatment for abortion complications and those who administer the procedure face possible jail time if they are reported to the police. Under the proposed legislation, women who are victims of rape would also be able to obtain emergency contraception. The bill, if passed, could be a major victory for Chilean women who, largely due to lack of access to effective contraception and abortion, has one of the highest rates of illegal abortions in Latin America. Chile currently has one of the most restrictive abortion law in Latin America – abortion is illegal and the defense of necessity is highly improbable.
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