Bogotá, Colombia, Nov 11, 2009 / 17:53 pm
Colombia’s Deputy Attorney General for Infancy, Adolescence and the Family, Myriam Ilva Hoyos, announced this week that a petition has been filed to nullify a ruling by Colombia’s Constitutional Court that ordered students to be taught that abortion is a right. The procedure is currently illegal in the country except for in special circumstances.
Hoyos took part in a debate on Colombian television with feminist Florence Thomas and denied claims that the Attorney General is requesting the nullification for religious reasons.
“We have carried out a legal study of the ruling, without any religious considerations. The fact we are Catholics does not make us ignorant of our duties,” she said.
“We are not opposed to the rights of women, Hoyos said explaining that “abortion is not a right and in Colombia it continues to be a crime except in three cases.”
Based on a 2006 ruling, abortion is only permitted in Colombia when the life of the mother is in danger, when there are congenital deformities incompatible with life, and in cases of rape.