Santiago, Chile, Oct 22, 2006 / 22:00 pm
After weeks of delay, the Constitutional Court of Chile has agreed to open an investigation into the abortifacient nature of the morning-after pill.
The results of the investigation will lead to a new ruling on whether to allow the drug to be prescribed to girls under the age of 14 without parental consent.
The Chilean high court has only agreed to study the abortifacient effects of the pill. Several pro-life groups hope the courts will rule the pill unconstitutional due to the danger it poses to the lives of unborn children and will thus prohibit distribution of the drug.
Congressman Jose Antonio Kast said it was very significant that the court has agreed to study the matter. However, he noted, “if the government wants to debate issues related to life or the right of parents to educate their children,” it should call for constitutional reform. Such a constitutional reform “would be debated in Congress, as it should be,” instead of allowing “a few pro-abortion officials from the UN to dictate a resolution behind closed doors.”
Likewise, Representative Francisco Chahuan said the decision by the court would allow the issue to be thoroughly reviewed and would strengthen the importance of the family in public health policies.