Ecuadorian President opposes abortion law

QUITO (Associated Press) — Ecuador's President Guillermo Russo allowed abortion by rape in Parliament on Tuesday, including strengthening abortion deadlines and setting requirements for obtaining these rights.

In a message posted on Twitter, the President said: “My decisions will always be made within the limits set out in constitutional functions. That is why we decided to include an opinion on the bill so that it fits perfectly into the decision of the Constitutional Court.” He said.

The Committee also urged that the doctor's decision on conscientious objection be extended to include the requirement of abortion. Although the ruler declares himself a defender of life since conception, he has suggested respecting decisions that do not fit his ideas. The appeal is filed two days before the legal pronunciation deadline, and the legislator must now rule for 30 days.

In mid-February, Congress passed the so-called Stop Rape Pregnancy Act in April, regulating the Constitutional Court's decision to decriminalize abortion as a cause.

Thousands of rape and abortion crimes are reported every year in the country, which, for other reasons, can be sentenced to 5-7 years in prison for mothers and 1 to 3 years in prison for those who help them perform.

The Ecuadorian Attorney General's Office registered more than 27,000 rape complaints between 2016 and 2020. 4884 cases were reported in 2016, 5,045 cases in 2017, 5667 in 2018, and 6034 cases in 2019. Although it fell to 5450 in 2020, the decline was not due to a decrease in crime, but due to the fact that victims cannot leave due to policies in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to figures from the Human Rights Office, more than 3,000 girls between 10 and 14 years of age are pregnant each year, and 12 per cent of adolescents between 10 and 19 years of age are pregnant at least once.

Among the American countries where pregnancy can be terminated unconditionally are Argentina, Uruguay and Cuba, but in the case of rape or incest, it is also allowed in the United States, Canada, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru. On the contrary, in Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Venezuela there are also Mexican countries that have added other reasons, but abortion is prohibited unless it threatens the health of the mother.

El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic prohibit abortion without exception.