Ecuadorian President opposes abortion law

Quito (Associated Press) — Ecuador's President Guillermo Rousseau allowed abortion by rape in parliament on Tuesday, including tightening deadlines for abortion 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 specified in the constitutional functions. That is why we decided to include our opinion on the bill so that it fits perfectly with the decision of the Constitutional Court,” he said.

The committee also called for the decision of the doctor on conscientious objections to be extended to include the requirement for abortion. The ruler declared himself a guardian of life since pregnancy, but proposed to respect the decision that did not fit his idea.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 Rape Pregnancy Suspension Act in April to regulate the decision of the Constitutional Court to decriminalize abortion as a cause.

In this country, thousands of crimes of rape and abortion are reported each year, and for other reasons, they can be sentenced to 5-7 years in prison for mothers and 1 to 3 years for those who help them perform.

The Office of the Attorney General of Ecuador registered more than 27,000 rape complaints between 2016 and 2020. 4884 cases were reported in 2016, 5,045 in 2017, 5667 in 2018, and 6034 cases in 2019. Although it fell to 5450 in 2020, it was not due to a reduction in crime, but due to the fact that victims were unable to 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 the ages of 10 and 14 are pregnant each year, and 12% of adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 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.