They are your rights, assert them

The elections are getting closer and candidates begin to take positions on key social issues. One of these issues is, without a doubt, the possibility of decriminalizing abortion. After an extensive debate last year, a law on sexual and reproductive rights was passed in Parliament and afterwards vetoed by the President.

As the change of administration approaches, different sectors of society wonder about the position that the new president is going to take with regard to this issue that, as of today, is still at square one: every 20 minutes a woman goes through the risky experience of an underground abortion in Uruguay.

The national media has enquired candidates on numerous occasions about their position regarding this issue. Reality shows ambiguous and even contradictory positions that have exposed the lack of political debate on this issue.

José Mujica, candidate of the ruling party Frente Amplio, asked by Montevideo COMM, said he already voted in favor, referring to the vote in parliament of the decriminalization bill. He then declared that “the ideal solution would be a plebiscite”, so that citizens can decide. But at the same time he acknowledged that "we don’t have that mechanism".

Luis Alberto Lacalle, presidential candidate for the National party, on his part, was asked about this during his visit to PIT-CNT (Uruguay’s workers union central). Lacalle said that he was against decriminalizing the voluntary interruption of pregnancy: "On this issue I agree with the President, I believe that there is life from the moment of conception" he answered when asked by a member of the workers’ union central.

The presidential candidate for the Colorado party, Pedro Bordaberry, has also claimed to be against decriminalizing abortion, but a curious thing has happened: his Vice President candidate, Hugo De León, has a declared that he is in favor of it. "It must be decriminalized. It’s a measure that, unfortunately, was vetoed by President Vázquez, but it has to be analyzed in the future", declared De León to the newspaper La Diaria last August 24.

According to a recent survey carried out by the consulting firm FACTUM, the absolute majority of the electorate thinks this should be a key issue in the election campaign.