Abortion in Colombia: They file a lawsuit against the Petro government’s circular

The Pro-Life Caucus of Congress, led by Senator Mauricio Giraldo and Representative Luis Miguel López, presented on August 28 a lawsuit for annulment against the abortion circular issued by the Health Superintendency (Supersalud) of Gustavo Petro’s government, which provides instructions for performing abortions in Colombia.

The circular of Instructions regarding the guarantee of access, quality and comprehensiveness of voluntary interruption of pregnancy (hereinafter IVE) in the national territoryIt was published on August 15 and bears the signature of the superintendent, Luis Carlos Leal Angarita.

“It is incomprehensible that in Colombia where there is NO abortion law, through sentences and excesses of functions, the role that belongs to the Congress of the Republic is usurped,” said Luis Miguel López, coordinator of the Pro-Life Caucus in the Chamber of Representatives, according to a statement sent to ACI Prensa.

One of the arguments to demand annulment, the text specifies, is that the circular “violates conscientious objection by preventing health personnel such as pharmaceutical agents from objecting to conscience.”

“We hope to stop all these efforts to turn Colombia into a world power of death, that is why we have carried out all these initiatives that seek to stop abortion in our country, which is nothing more than the death sentence of thousands of children every year. “said Senator Mauricio Giraldo for his part.

What does the abortion circular say in Colombia?

In number 12 of the instructions for institutions providing health services, the circular states that it must “guarantee that only the doctor who intervenes directly in the IVE medical procedure (abortion) can exercise conscientious objection. since it is not possible to exercise it institutionally or collectively, nor by those who carry out administrative, palliative, assessment or preparation tasks, before or after the procedure.

The circular also establishes, in number 9 of the general instructions, that the full autonomy to decide on the IVE of women and underage pregnant women must be “respected, ensuring that they can receive care to the extent that they have full capacity.” to consent to treatments and interventions on your body that affect your sexual and reproductive development. They do not need authorization from their guardian or legal representative.”

The text also has various terms related to gender ideology – a current that considers that biological sex is not determining for the person, but that they can define their sexual orientation and identity according to their preferences and even against their nature. — such as ensuring that “trans men and non-binary people” can also access abortion.

The Colombian Congress has not passed any law on abortion. What exists in the country are several rulings from the Constitutional Court that allow this practice, having ordered its decriminalization, but have not legalized it.

Various pro-life organizations in Colombia held a sit-in on August 21 in 16 cities in the country, to protest against the circular that, they denounced, wants to turn the country into a “power of death.”

The pro-life sit-in was held in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Bucaramanga, Cartagena, Valledupar, Montería, Palmira, Sonsón, Tunja, San José del Guaviare, Villavicencio, Pereira, Manizales, Yopal and Barranquilla.

The Pro-Life Caucus also reported that next week, on September 4 and 5, the First Pro-Life Convention will be held in the Congress of the Republic, where “actions will be coordinated to defend Life from Conception to its natural end in Colombia.” .