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The Coming Fight Over Chile's Strict Abortion Laws

By Rebecca Bintrim

A legislative push could end a dictatorship-era ban on abortion. But the effort to expand access has many opponents.

On October 2, the amplified thump-thump-thump of babies’ heartbeats echoed in front of Chile’s La Moneda Palace.  A dozen pregnant women, loudspeakers attached to their protruding bellies, stood with some 100 supporters to protest pending legislation that would liberalize the country’s harshly restrictive abortion laws. Calling their campaign “La Voz del Corazón,” or “The Heart’s Voice,” the demonstration was just one example of pushback against efforts to...

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