Santiago, Chile, May 14, 2009 / 22:43 pm
A high-level official of the Chilean government told journalists this week that the country would not bow to pressure from a report by the U.N. High Commission for Human Rights that suggests Chile should legalize abortion.
"There are some suggestions that the government of Chile will not accept because they have to do with issues that are not on the government’s agenda. In general, I think that the dialogue between Chile and the international community was a very constructive and positive one," said Jose Antonio Viera-Gallo.
"There is not country in the world that is perfectly in line with everything related to Human Rights," he argued. "It’s only natural to make suggestions to other countries, but the important thing is that they be in keeping with the direction that government is taking on issues related to indigenous peoples, the rights of women, against discrimination, and on the correct use of force by public safety."
The suggestion to legalize abortion was made to Chile last week at the U.N. Council on Human Rights in Geneva.