Ecuador court decriminalises abortion in rape cases

In Ecuador, a woman risks up to three years in prison for having an abortion, with few exceptions.

Ecuador’s Constitutional Court has decriminalised abortion in cases of rape, the country’s human rights ombudsman announced, a significant step in Catholic-majority Latin America where termination of pregnancy is largely taboo. Ombudsman Freddy Carrion announced the court’s decision on Twitter, and said the ruling “was possible thanks to the women and feminist groups who have consistently battled for a more fair and egalitarian society”. In Ecuador, a conservative country with an 80 percent Catholic population, a woman risks up to three years in prison for having an abortion.