Chile Considers Legislation That Would Legalize Abortion

Pro and anti-abortion demonstrators clash, in front of a police officer in riot gear, during a pro-abortion protest in Santiago, Chile, Monday, March 21, 2016.
Pro and anti-abortion demonstrators clash, in front of a police officer in riot gear, during a pro-abortion protest in Santiago, Chile, Monday, March 21, 2016. Esteban Felix / AP Photo
Pro and anti-abortion demonstrators clash, in front of a police officer in riot gear, during a pro-abortion protest in Santiago, Chile, Monday, March 21, 2016.
Pro and anti-abortion demonstrators clash, in front of a police officer in riot gear, during a pro-abortion protest in Santiago, Chile, Monday, March 21, 2016. Esteban Felix / AP Photo

Chile Considers Legislation That Would Legalize Abortion

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Last week presidential candidate Donald Trump sparked another heated debate around abortion, when he said that if abortion were outlawed, women who seek them should be punished. He later clarified his remarks and said those responsible for performing abortions should face some sort of punishment. 

In Chile, this happens. Chile is one of several Latin American countries that still has a total ban on abortion. But that may be changing. 

Earlier this month, Chile’s lower chamber voted in favor of legalizing abortion in cases of rape, threat to the life of the mother and viability of the fetus. Lessie Jo Frazier, professor of American Studies and Gender Studies at Indiana University and author of Salt in the Sand: Memory, Violence, and the Nation-State in Chile, 1890-Present, joins us to discuss the current debate on abortion in Chile.