By a margin of seven votes, the Chamber of Deputies approved a draft law on the Defense of Reproductive Health, which decriminalizes the practice of abortion during the first 12 weeks of gestation.
The absence from the Chamber of several lawmakers made it possible Tuesday to approve the initiative by simple majority, 47 to 40. The proposal now goes to the Senate.
Several weeks ago, President Jorge Batlle said he would veto the legislation if Parliament approved it.
Bishop Pablo Galimberti de Vietri of San Jose de Mayo y Flories urged anyone who is sensitive to human rights to voice their opposition to the legislation «as prophets of life and hope.»
In a message dated Dec. 1, Bishop Galimberti warned that «to facilitate the path to abortion means to destroy the first vital and affective bond. What is dangerous is when it is done in the name of the supposed rights of others, the strongest.»
