{"id":21674,"date":"2017-08-24T06:25:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-24T06:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion-89350\/"},"modified":"2017-08-24T06:25:00","modified_gmt":"2017-08-24T06:25:00","slug":"chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"Chilean court sidesteps constitution, paves way for legal abortion"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/Flag_of_Chile_Credit_Juan_R_Velasco_Shutterstock_CNA.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Santiago, Chile, Aug 24, 2017 \/ 12:25 am (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- A Chilean court ruled this week in favor of a controversial bill that allows abortion in some cases, against the objections of pro-life advocates who pointed to the Constitution\u2019s explicit protections for the unborn.<\/p>\n<p>The bill allows for abortion in cases of rape, danger to the mother\u2019s life, and when the baby is deemed to be \u201cunviable.\u201d The legislation had been promoted for years by President Michelle Bachelet and was recently passed by the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>However, opponents of the bill had challenged it in court, arguing that it collides with the duty in the Chilean Constitution to \u201cprotect the life of the unborn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After a three-day debate, the Constitutional Court of Chile ruled in a 6-4 vote that the bill did not violate the Constitution. The court will issue its final report next week, allowing the bill to be signed into law.<\/p>\n<p>The country, which is predominantly Catholic, had previously had some of the most pro-life laws of any country in the world.<\/p>\n<p>Patricia Gonnelle, legislative coordinator for Chile is Life, told CNA that it is hard for pro-life organizations to \u201chold back the pain and grief\u201d at the ruling, which she described as being partly due to political pressure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe lament that the court, which listened to all the most powerful medical testimony, did not accept what the doctors said. And there was no doctor in support of the bill who came to show up for that abortion bill, and that gives you a lot to think about, it's worrisome,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Gonnelle said, the pro-life movement is not giving up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPro-life organizations will carry on as always, that is, supporting women in situations of conflict and much pain. They will not change their work, as they have always done for many, many years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith an abortion law, it's getting harder, but life will always win. It's just a matter of time, and that fills our hearts with joy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>The standing committee of the Chilean Bishops' Conference responded to the ruling by saying that \u201cit is the entire society that loses with the legalization of abortion in Chile, even if it be under certain conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are facing a new situation in which some unborn human beings are left unprotected by the State in this basic and fundamental right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From a legal perspective, the ruling violates the Constitution\u2019s protections of unborn human life, while from an anthropological perspective that sees human dignity as the \u201ccenter of social coexistence,\u201d it is \u201cincomprehensible,\u201d the bishops said.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, when viewed through the lens of the faith that a large segment of Chilean society professes, \u201cthe resolution that has just been adopted and that declares the abortion bill to be in conformity with the Constitution offends the conscience and the common good of citizens,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n<p>The bishops voiced their gratitude to all individuals, groups, and lawmakers who have worked to protect human life within the legal system.<\/p>\n<p>They pledged to \u201ccontinue supporting women going through difficult circumstances in their pregnancy, those that decide to continue the pregnancy and those who think that abortion is a solution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Church, the people of God at the service of all, particularly the weakest, always offers its hands and extends an embrace of service to all people who need peace, protection, support and consolation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"feedflare\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?a=a1B1Jdv4f5s:-r5wuwLmuIo:yIl2AUoC8zA\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews\/~4\/a1B1Jdv4f5s\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/Flag_of_Chile_Credit_Juan_R_Velasco_Shutterstock_CNA.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Santiago, Chile, Aug 24, 2017 \/ 12:25 am (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\" target=\"_self\">CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- A Chilean court ruled this week in favor of a controversial bill that allows abortion in some cases, against the objections of pro-life advocates who pointed to the Constitution&rsquo;s explicit protections for the unborn.<\/p>\n<p>The bill allows for abortion in cases of rape, danger to the mother&rsquo;s life, and when the baby is deemed to be &ldquo;unviable.&rdquo; The legislation had been promoted for years by President Michelle Bachelet and was recently passed by the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>However, opponents of the bill had challenged it in court, arguing that it collides with the duty in the Chilean Constitution to &ldquo;protect the life of the unborn.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>After a three-day debate, the Constitutional Court of Chile ruled in a 6-4 vote that the bill did not violate the Constitution. The court will issue its final report next week, allowing the bill to be signed into law.<\/p>\n<p>The country, which is predominantly Catholic, had previously had some of the most pro-life laws of any country in the world.<\/p>\n<p>Patricia Gonnelle, legislative coordinator for Chile is Life, told CNA that it is hard for pro-life organizations to &ldquo;hold back the pain and grief&rdquo; at the ruling, which she described as being partly due to political pressure.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We lament that the court, which listened to all the most powerful medical testimony, did not accept what the doctors said. And there was no doctor in support of the bill who came to show up for that abortion bill, and that gives you a lot to think about, it&#8217;s worrisome,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Gonnelle said, the pro-life movement is not giving up.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Pro-life organizations will carry on as always, that is, supporting women in situations of conflict and much pain. They will not change their work, as they have always done for many, many years.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With an abortion law, it&#8217;s getting harder, but life will always win. It&#8217;s just a matter of time, and that fills our hearts with joy,&rdquo; she said.<\/p>\n<p>The standing committee of the Chilean Bishops&#8217; Conference responded to the ruling by saying that &ldquo;it is the entire society that loses with the legalization of abortion in Chile, even if it be under certain conditions.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are facing a new situation in which some unborn human beings are left unprotected by the State in this basic and fundamental right.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>From a legal perspective, the ruling violates the Constitution&rsquo;s protections of unborn human life, while from an anthropological perspective that sees human dignity as the &ldquo;center of social coexistence,&rdquo; it is &ldquo;incomprehensible,&rdquo; the bishops said.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, when viewed through the lens of the faith that a large segment of Chilean society professes, &ldquo;the resolution that has just been adopted and that declares the abortion bill to be in conformity with the Constitution offends the conscience and the common good of citizens,&rdquo; they added.<\/p>\n<p>The bishops voiced their gratitude to all individuals, groups, and lawmakers who have worked to protect human life within the legal system.<\/p>\n<p>They pledged to &ldquo;continue supporting women going through difficult circumstances in their pregnancy, those that decide to continue the pregnancy and those who think that abortion is a solution.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Church, the people of God at the service of all, particularly the weakest, always offers its hands and extends an embrace of service to all people who need peace, protection, support and consolation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?a=a1B1Jdv4f5s:-r5wuwLmuIo:yIl2AUoC8zA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews\/~4\/a1B1Jdv4f5s\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-americas"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Chilean court sidesteps constitution, paves way for legal abortion<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Santiago, Chile, Aug 24, 2017 \/ 12:25 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- A Chilean court ruled this week in favor of a controversial bill that allows abortion in some cases, against the objections of pro-life advocates who pointed to the Constitution&rsquo;s explicit protections for the unborn. The bill allows for abortion in cases of rape, danger to the mother&rsquo;s life, and when the baby is deemed to be &ldquo;unviable.&rdquo; The legislation had been promoted for years by President Michelle Bachelet and was recently passed by the Senate. However, opponents of the bill had challenged it in court, arguing that it collides with the duty in the Chilean Constitution to &ldquo;protect the life of the unborn.&rdquo; After a three-day debate, the Constitutional Court of Chile ruled in a 6-4 vote that the bill did not violate the Constitution. The court will issue its final report next week, allowing the bill to be signed into law. The country, which is predominantly Catholic, had previously had some of the most pro-life laws of any country in the world. Patricia Gonnelle, legislative coordinator for Chile is Life, told CNA that it is hard for pro-life organizations to &ldquo;hold back the pain and grief&rdquo; at the ruling, which she described as being partly due to political pressure. &ldquo;We lament that the court, which listened to all the most powerful medical testimony, did not accept what the doctors said. And there was no doctor in support of the bill who came to show up for that abortion bill, and that gives you a lot to think about, it&#039;s worrisome,&rdquo; she added. Still, Gonnelle said, the pro-life movement is not giving up. &ldquo;Pro-life organizations will carry on as always, that is, supporting women in situations of conflict and much pain. They will not change their work, as they have always done for many, many years.&rdquo; &ldquo;With an abortion law, it&#039;s getting harder, but life will always win. It&#039;s just a matter of time, and that fills our hearts with joy,&rdquo; she said. The standing committee of the Chilean Bishops&#039; Conference responded to the ruling by saying that &ldquo;it is the entire society that loses with the legalization of abortion in Chile, even if it be under certain conditions.&rdquo; &ldquo;We are facing a new situation in which some unborn human beings are left unprotected by the State in this basic and fundamental right.&rdquo; From a legal perspective, the ruling violates the Constitution&rsquo;s protections of unborn human life, while from an anthropological perspective that sees human dignity as the &ldquo;center of social coexistence,&rdquo; it is &ldquo;incomprehensible,&rdquo; the bishops said. Meanwhile, when viewed through the lens of the faith that a large segment of Chilean society professes, &ldquo;the resolution that has just been adopted and that declares the abortion bill to be in conformity with the Constitution offends the conscience and the common good of citizens,&rdquo; they added. The bishops voiced their gratitude to all individuals, groups, and lawmakers who have worked to protect human life within the legal system. They pledged to &ldquo;continue supporting women going through difficult circumstances in their pregnancy, those that decide to continue the pregnancy and those who think that abortion is a solution.&rdquo; &ldquo;The Church, the people of God at the service of all, particularly the weakest, always offers its hands and extends an embrace of service to all people who need peace, protection, support and consolation.&rdquo; &nbsp;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chilean court sidesteps constitution, paves way for legal abortion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Santiago, Chile, Aug 24, 2017 \/ 12:25 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- A Chilean court ruled this week in favor of a controversial bill that allows abortion in some cases, against the objections of pro-life advocates who pointed to the Constitution&rsquo;s explicit protections for the unborn. The bill allows for abortion in cases of rape, danger to the mother&rsquo;s life, and when the baby is deemed to be &ldquo;unviable.&rdquo; The legislation had been promoted for years by President Michelle Bachelet and was recently passed by the Senate. However, opponents of the bill had challenged it in court, arguing that it collides with the duty in the Chilean Constitution to &ldquo;protect the life of the unborn.&rdquo; After a three-day debate, the Constitutional Court of Chile ruled in a 6-4 vote that the bill did not violate the Constitution. The court will issue its final report next week, allowing the bill to be signed into law. The country, which is predominantly Catholic, had previously had some of the most pro-life laws of any country in the world. Patricia Gonnelle, legislative coordinator for Chile is Life, told CNA that it is hard for pro-life organizations to &ldquo;hold back the pain and grief&rdquo; at the ruling, which she described as being partly due to political pressure. &ldquo;We lament that the court, which listened to all the most powerful medical testimony, did not accept what the doctors said. And there was no doctor in support of the bill who came to show up for that abortion bill, and that gives you a lot to think about, it&#039;s worrisome,&rdquo; she added. Still, Gonnelle said, the pro-life movement is not giving up. &ldquo;Pro-life organizations will carry on as always, that is, supporting women in situations of conflict and much pain. They will not change their work, as they have always done for many, many years.&rdquo; &ldquo;With an abortion law, it&#039;s getting harder, but life will always win. It&#039;s just a matter of time, and that fills our hearts with joy,&rdquo; she said. The standing committee of the Chilean Bishops&#039; Conference responded to the ruling by saying that &ldquo;it is the entire society that loses with the legalization of abortion in Chile, even if it be under certain conditions.&rdquo; &ldquo;We are facing a new situation in which some unborn human beings are left unprotected by the State in this basic and fundamental right.&rdquo; From a legal perspective, the ruling violates the Constitution&rsquo;s protections of unborn human life, while from an anthropological perspective that sees human dignity as the &ldquo;center of social coexistence,&rdquo; it is &ldquo;incomprehensible,&rdquo; the bishops said. Meanwhile, when viewed through the lens of the faith that a large segment of Chilean society professes, &ldquo;the resolution that has just been adopted and that declares the abortion bill to be in conformity with the Constitution offends the conscience and the common good of citizens,&rdquo; they added. The bishops voiced their gratitude to all individuals, groups, and lawmakers who have worked to protect human life within the legal system. They pledged to &ldquo;continue supporting women going through difficult circumstances in their pregnancy, those that decide to continue the pregnancy and those who think that abortion is a solution.&rdquo; &ldquo;The Church, the people of God at the service of all, particularly the weakest, always offers its hands and extends an embrace of service to all people who need peace, protection, support and consolation.&rdquo; &nbsp;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-08-24T06:25:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/Flag_of_Chile_Credit_Juan_R_Velasco_Shutterstock_CNA.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/\",\"name\":\"Chilean court sidesteps constitution, paves way for legal abortion\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-08-24T06:25:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-08-24T06:25:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\"},\"description\":\"Santiago, Chile, Aug 24, 2017 \/ 12:25 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- A Chilean court ruled this week in favor of a controversial bill that allows abortion in some cases, against the objections of pro-life advocates who pointed to the Constitution&rsquo;s explicit protections for the unborn. The bill allows for abortion in cases of rape, danger to the mother&rsquo;s life, and when the baby is deemed to be &ldquo;unviable.&rdquo; The legislation had been promoted for years by President Michelle Bachelet and was recently passed by the Senate. However, opponents of the bill had challenged it in court, arguing that it collides with the duty in the Chilean Constitution to &ldquo;protect the life of the unborn.&rdquo; After a three-day debate, the Constitutional Court of Chile ruled in a 6-4 vote that the bill did not violate the Constitution. The court will issue its final report next week, allowing the bill to be signed into law. The country, which is predominantly Catholic, had previously had some of the most pro-life laws of any country in the world. Patricia Gonnelle, legislative coordinator for Chile is Life, told CNA that it is hard for pro-life organizations to &ldquo;hold back the pain and grief&rdquo; at the ruling, which she described as being partly due to political pressure. &ldquo;We lament that the court, which listened to all the most powerful medical testimony, did not accept what the doctors said. And there was no doctor in support of the bill who came to show up for that abortion bill, and that gives you a lot to think about, it's worrisome,&rdquo; she added. Still, Gonnelle said, the pro-life movement is not giving up. &ldquo;Pro-life organizations will carry on as always, that is, supporting women in situations of conflict and much pain. They will not change their work, as they have always done for many, many years.&rdquo; &ldquo;With an abortion law, it's getting harder, but life will always win. It's just a matter of time, and that fills our hearts with joy,&rdquo; she said. The standing committee of the Chilean Bishops' Conference responded to the ruling by saying that &ldquo;it is the entire society that loses with the legalization of abortion in Chile, even if it be under certain conditions.&rdquo; &ldquo;We are facing a new situation in which some unborn human beings are left unprotected by the State in this basic and fundamental right.&rdquo; From a legal perspective, the ruling violates the Constitution&rsquo;s protections of unborn human life, while from an anthropological perspective that sees human dignity as the &ldquo;center of social coexistence,&rdquo; it is &ldquo;incomprehensible,&rdquo; the bishops said. Meanwhile, when viewed through the lens of the faith that a large segment of Chilean society professes, &ldquo;the resolution that has just been adopted and that declares the abortion bill to be in conformity with the Constitution offends the conscience and the common good of citizens,&rdquo; they added. The bishops voiced their gratitude to all individuals, groups, and lawmakers who have worked to protect human life within the legal system. They pledged to &ldquo;continue supporting women going through difficult circumstances in their pregnancy, those that decide to continue the pregnancy and those who think that abortion is a solution.&rdquo; &ldquo;The Church, the people of God at the service of all, particularly the weakest, always offers its hands and extends an embrace of service to all people who need peace, protection, support and consolation.&rdquo; &nbsp;\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Chilean court sidesteps constitution, paves way for legal abortion\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\",\"name\":\"Catholic News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\",\"name\":\"CNA Daily News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"CNA Daily News\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Chilean court sidesteps constitution, paves way for legal abortion","description":"Santiago, Chile, Aug 24, 2017 \/ 12:25 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- A Chilean court ruled this week in favor of a controversial bill that allows abortion in some cases, against the objections of pro-life advocates who pointed to the Constitution&rsquo;s explicit protections for the unborn. The bill allows for abortion in cases of rape, danger to the mother&rsquo;s life, and when the baby is deemed to be &ldquo;unviable.&rdquo; The legislation had been promoted for years by President Michelle Bachelet and was recently passed by the Senate. However, opponents of the bill had challenged it in court, arguing that it collides with the duty in the Chilean Constitution to &ldquo;protect the life of the unborn.&rdquo; After a three-day debate, the Constitutional Court of Chile ruled in a 6-4 vote that the bill did not violate the Constitution. The court will issue its final report next week, allowing the bill to be signed into law. The country, which is predominantly Catholic, had previously had some of the most pro-life laws of any country in the world. Patricia Gonnelle, legislative coordinator for Chile is Life, told CNA that it is hard for pro-life organizations to &ldquo;hold back the pain and grief&rdquo; at the ruling, which she described as being partly due to political pressure. &ldquo;We lament that the court, which listened to all the most powerful medical testimony, did not accept what the doctors said. And there was no doctor in support of the bill who came to show up for that abortion bill, and that gives you a lot to think about, it's worrisome,&rdquo; she added. Still, Gonnelle said, the pro-life movement is not giving up. &ldquo;Pro-life organizations will carry on as always, that is, supporting women in situations of conflict and much pain. They will not change their work, as they have always done for many, many years.&rdquo; &ldquo;With an abortion law, it's getting harder, but life will always win. It's just a matter of time, and that fills our hearts with joy,&rdquo; she said. The standing committee of the Chilean Bishops' Conference responded to the ruling by saying that &ldquo;it is the entire society that loses with the legalization of abortion in Chile, even if it be under certain conditions.&rdquo; &ldquo;We are facing a new situation in which some unborn human beings are left unprotected by the State in this basic and fundamental right.&rdquo; From a legal perspective, the ruling violates the Constitution&rsquo;s protections of unborn human life, while from an anthropological perspective that sees human dignity as the &ldquo;center of social coexistence,&rdquo; it is &ldquo;incomprehensible,&rdquo; the bishops said. Meanwhile, when viewed through the lens of the faith that a large segment of Chilean society professes, &ldquo;the resolution that has just been adopted and that declares the abortion bill to be in conformity with the Constitution offends the conscience and the common good of citizens,&rdquo; they added. The bishops voiced their gratitude to all individuals, groups, and lawmakers who have worked to protect human life within the legal system. They pledged to &ldquo;continue supporting women going through difficult circumstances in their pregnancy, those that decide to continue the pregnancy and those who think that abortion is a solution.&rdquo; &ldquo;The Church, the people of God at the service of all, particularly the weakest, always offers its hands and extends an embrace of service to all people who need peace, protection, support and consolation.&rdquo; &nbsp;","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Chilean court sidesteps constitution, paves way for legal abortion","og_description":"Santiago, Chile, Aug 24, 2017 \/ 12:25 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- A Chilean court ruled this week in favor of a controversial bill that allows abortion in some cases, against the objections of pro-life advocates who pointed to the Constitution&rsquo;s explicit protections for the unborn. The bill allows for abortion in cases of rape, danger to the mother&rsquo;s life, and when the baby is deemed to be &ldquo;unviable.&rdquo; The legislation had been promoted for years by President Michelle Bachelet and was recently passed by the Senate. However, opponents of the bill had challenged it in court, arguing that it collides with the duty in the Chilean Constitution to &ldquo;protect the life of the unborn.&rdquo; After a three-day debate, the Constitutional Court of Chile ruled in a 6-4 vote that the bill did not violate the Constitution. The court will issue its final report next week, allowing the bill to be signed into law. The country, which is predominantly Catholic, had previously had some of the most pro-life laws of any country in the world. Patricia Gonnelle, legislative coordinator for Chile is Life, told CNA that it is hard for pro-life organizations to &ldquo;hold back the pain and grief&rdquo; at the ruling, which she described as being partly due to political pressure. &ldquo;We lament that the court, which listened to all the most powerful medical testimony, did not accept what the doctors said. And there was no doctor in support of the bill who came to show up for that abortion bill, and that gives you a lot to think about, it's worrisome,&rdquo; she added. Still, Gonnelle said, the pro-life movement is not giving up. &ldquo;Pro-life organizations will carry on as always, that is, supporting women in situations of conflict and much pain. They will not change their work, as they have always done for many, many years.&rdquo; &ldquo;With an abortion law, it's getting harder, but life will always win. It's just a matter of time, and that fills our hearts with joy,&rdquo; she said. The standing committee of the Chilean Bishops' Conference responded to the ruling by saying that &ldquo;it is the entire society that loses with the legalization of abortion in Chile, even if it be under certain conditions.&rdquo; &ldquo;We are facing a new situation in which some unborn human beings are left unprotected by the State in this basic and fundamental right.&rdquo; From a legal perspective, the ruling violates the Constitution&rsquo;s protections of unborn human life, while from an anthropological perspective that sees human dignity as the &ldquo;center of social coexistence,&rdquo; it is &ldquo;incomprehensible,&rdquo; the bishops said. Meanwhile, when viewed through the lens of the faith that a large segment of Chilean society professes, &ldquo;the resolution that has just been adopted and that declares the abortion bill to be in conformity with the Constitution offends the conscience and the common good of citizens,&rdquo; they added. The bishops voiced their gratitude to all individuals, groups, and lawmakers who have worked to protect human life within the legal system. They pledged to &ldquo;continue supporting women going through difficult circumstances in their pregnancy, those that decide to continue the pregnancy and those who think that abortion is a solution.&rdquo; &ldquo;The Church, the people of God at the service of all, particularly the weakest, always offers its hands and extends an embrace of service to all people who need peace, protection, support and consolation.&rdquo; &nbsp;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/","og_site_name":"Catholic News","article_published_time":"2017-08-24T06:25:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/Flag_of_Chile_Credit_Juan_R_Velasco_Shutterstock_CNA.jpg"}],"author":"CNA Daily News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"CNA Daily News","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/","name":"Chilean court sidesteps constitution, paves way for legal abortion","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-08-24T06:25:00+00:00","dateModified":"2017-08-24T06:25:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1"},"description":"Santiago, Chile, Aug 24, 2017 \/ 12:25 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- A Chilean court ruled this week in favor of a controversial bill that allows abortion in some cases, against the objections of pro-life advocates who pointed to the Constitution&rsquo;s explicit protections for the unborn. The bill allows for abortion in cases of rape, danger to the mother&rsquo;s life, and when the baby is deemed to be &ldquo;unviable.&rdquo; The legislation had been promoted for years by President Michelle Bachelet and was recently passed by the Senate. However, opponents of the bill had challenged it in court, arguing that it collides with the duty in the Chilean Constitution to &ldquo;protect the life of the unborn.&rdquo; After a three-day debate, the Constitutional Court of Chile ruled in a 6-4 vote that the bill did not violate the Constitution. The court will issue its final report next week, allowing the bill to be signed into law. The country, which is predominantly Catholic, had previously had some of the most pro-life laws of any country in the world. Patricia Gonnelle, legislative coordinator for Chile is Life, told CNA that it is hard for pro-life organizations to &ldquo;hold back the pain and grief&rdquo; at the ruling, which she described as being partly due to political pressure. &ldquo;We lament that the court, which listened to all the most powerful medical testimony, did not accept what the doctors said. And there was no doctor in support of the bill who came to show up for that abortion bill, and that gives you a lot to think about, it's worrisome,&rdquo; she added. Still, Gonnelle said, the pro-life movement is not giving up. &ldquo;Pro-life organizations will carry on as always, that is, supporting women in situations of conflict and much pain. They will not change their work, as they have always done for many, many years.&rdquo; &ldquo;With an abortion law, it's getting harder, but life will always win. It's just a matter of time, and that fills our hearts with joy,&rdquo; she said. The standing committee of the Chilean Bishops' Conference responded to the ruling by saying that &ldquo;it is the entire society that loses with the legalization of abortion in Chile, even if it be under certain conditions.&rdquo; &ldquo;We are facing a new situation in which some unborn human beings are left unprotected by the State in this basic and fundamental right.&rdquo; From a legal perspective, the ruling violates the Constitution&rsquo;s protections of unborn human life, while from an anthropological perspective that sees human dignity as the &ldquo;center of social coexistence,&rdquo; it is &ldquo;incomprehensible,&rdquo; the bishops said. Meanwhile, when viewed through the lens of the faith that a large segment of Chilean society professes, &ldquo;the resolution that has just been adopted and that declares the abortion bill to be in conformity with the Constitution offends the conscience and the common good of citizens,&rdquo; they added. The bishops voiced their gratitude to all individuals, groups, and lawmakers who have worked to protect human life within the legal system. They pledged to &ldquo;continue supporting women going through difficult circumstances in their pregnancy, those that decide to continue the pregnancy and those who think that abortion is a solution.&rdquo; &ldquo;The Church, the people of God at the service of all, particularly the weakest, always offers its hands and extends an embrace of service to all people who need peace, protection, support and consolation.&rdquo; &nbsp;","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/08\/chilean-court-sidesteps-constitution-paves-way-for-legal-abortion\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Chilean court sidesteps constitution, paves way for legal abortion"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/","name":"Catholic News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1","name":"CNA Daily News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CNA Daily News"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21674\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}