QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuador’s president, Guillermo Lasso, a conservative former banker, on Tuesday mentioned he would suggest tightening time limits for abortion in cases of rape after new guidelines had been authorised by the South American nation’s National Assembly in February.
Last month Ecuadorian politicians voted to approve guidelines allowing abortion for pregnancies arising from rape till 12 weeks’ gestation, or as much as 18 weeks for grownup girls belonging to indigenous teams or who dwell in rural areas.
However, Lasso has now despatched changes to the National Assembly, together with a restrict of 12 weeks’ gestation for all grownup girls, no matter the place in the nation they dwell or what neighborhood they belong to.
“We are all equal earlier than our structure and our legal guidelines,” Lasso mentioned in a message posted on Twitter.
“Establishing authorized variations between residents based mostly on locations of beginning or origins would go in opposition to this primary precept,” he added.
It was not clear whether or not Lasso’s proposed changes would apply to abortions in cases of rape for teenagers, the place lawmakers had additionally authorised limits till 18 weeks’ gestation.
Lasso’s objections will probably be despatched to the National Assembly, the place lawmakers could have 30 days to resolve whether or not to simply accept Lasso’s proposed changes or to push via the foundations authorised in February.
Abortion has been authorized in Ecuador since 1938 in cases when a girl’s life is in danger or when a rape survivor has an mental incapacity. In 2019 the meeting didn’t move laws legalizing abortion for rape.
More than 21,000 abortions happen in Ecuador every year, in keeping with feminist group Trenzando Feminismos, most of them in harmful unlawful clinics.
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia and Oliver Griffin; Writing by Oliver Griffin. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
