Costa Rica’s president limits abortion to life-threatening cases
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves further restricted access to abortion on Wednesday, limiting it to situations where the mother’s life is in danger.
The country’s previous regulations also allowed abortions if a pregnancy posed a threat to the mother’s health. No legislative approval was required for the change.
By getting the rules changed through the Health Ministry, Chaves kept a promise he made to religious conservatives in the Evangelical Alliance earlier this month.
“Today, the only reason an abortion can be performed without penalty is when there are only two options: the life of the mother or the life of the being inside,” Chaves said at a news conference.
While access to abortion has increased in recent years in some of Latin America’s largest countries, including Mexico and Argentina, Central American governments have maintained heavy restrictions. Countries like Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua ban abortion completely, while Guatemala allows abortion when the mother’s life is in danger.
The Evangelical Alliance celebrated Chaves’ change in a statement. “This is an opportunity to unite around a universal principle: the value of all human life,” said alliance president Pastor Ronald Vargas.
But those who support abortion access have quickly seen political agreement ahead of presidential elections in February next year. Chaves cannot run for office but supports his party’s candidate.
“Unfortunately, once again, it is women and people capable of having children who must bear the brunt of trading our rights in exchange for getting votes or using conservative groups,” said Laura Valenciano, a human rights advocate at the nongovernmental organization Citizen Association ACCEDER, which stands for Strategic Actions for Human Rights.
Costa Rica has long banned most abortions, with a few exceptions. These were not clearly defined until a 2019 rule stated that an abortion could be performed if the mother’s health was in danger.
Valenciano said she was not aware of any abortions performed under this exception during Chaves’ presidency. She asked him to provide data.
“People would see that they are creating a smokescreen and distracting us from very important issues,” Valenciano said.
Chaves was viewed with skepticism by some women when he ran for president in 2022. The World Bank found that the conservative economist had sexually harassed various women while he worked there, and he was ultimately disciplined for misconduct, demoted and expelled. He has consistently denied these allegations.
