In Colombia, both sides on abortion debate use medical arguments

Published: 2006-02-09

BOGOTA, Colombia (CNS) -- When a 23-year-old woman died Feb. 1 after a botched abortion in a clandestine clinic in central Bogota, both supporters and opponents of legalizing the procedure used the tragedy to back their arguments. Opponents, most prominently the Catholic Church, called for a crackdown on the clinics, which advertise themselves as women's health centers and offer treatment for "delayed menstruation." Abortion proponents, led by an attorney who has filed a lawsuit to legalize abortion, argue that the prohibition has not prevented abortions, but has made them more dangerous for women. "(The death) is a clear consequence of abortion's illegality," said Monica Roa, the attorney and director of the gender justice program for Women's Link Worldwide, a nongovernmental women's organization. "It's just one case which the media happened to find out about." But Bishop Fabian Marulanda Lopez, secretary-general of the Colombian bishops' conference, said that, rather than legalization, Colombia requires stiffer punishments for doctors who carry out abortions.

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