BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – the highest Argentine Court of Justice said Tuesday that the interruption of a pregnancy caused by a violation is not punishable, indicating that the judges can not hamper its practice nor the doctors attending him to be exposed to penalties.
The Supreme Court referred to a case in which abortion was already practiced, but indicated that his ruling was necessary to establish a guide for the solution of future incidents where victims of a violation should face a many times delayed judicial process authorize the interventions.
The ruling clarified a 1922 law, interpreted by judges as enabling abortions only to cases of pregnancies by rape on women with mental health problems.
To do so, the Court said that “he played the criminal code saying that the interruption of the pregnancy from any kind of violation is not punishable and that any case of non punishable abortion is not subject to a judicial process”, according to a release from the body.
Abortion is illegal in the majority of Latin American countries, where lives about half of Catholics in the world, although many allow the procedure in cases of rape.
In Cuba and Guyana abortion is only legal.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court also called on authorities to implement hospital protocols to remove all barriers to access to medical services addressing non punishable abortion.
Decision has already led to a debate in the country.
The President of the Episcopal Conference Argentina CEA, Monsignor José MarÃa Arancedo, said that abortion “is the removal of an innocent life, and there is no reason or reason that would justify the Elimination of an innocent life, even in the unfortunate and sad case of a violation”.
(Guido Nejamkis/Hilary Burke’s report, edited by Patricia Avila)
