Costa Rica's president limits abortion to life-threatening cases

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SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Costa Rica's President Rodrigo Chaves further restricted access to abortion Wednesday, limiting it to situations when the mother’s life is in danger.

The country's previous regulations also allowed abortions if a pregnancy posed a threat to the mother’s health. No legislative approval was required for the change.

In making the rule change through the Health Ministry, Chaves made good on a promise he had given religious conservatives at the Evangelical Alliance earlier this month.

“Today the only reason for which an abortion can be done without penalty is when there are only two options: the mother’s life or the life of the being that is inside,” Chaves said during a news conference.

While abortion access has advanced in recent years in some of Latin America's largest countries, including Mexico and Argentina, Central American governments have maintained strong restrictions. Countries including Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua have total bans, while Guatemala allows for abortion when the mother's life is at risk.

The Evangelical Alliance celebrated Chaves' change in a statement. “This is an opportunity to unite around a universal principle: the value of all human life,” said alliance President Pastor Ronald Vargas.

But those who support abortion access were quick to see a political deal ahead of next year’s presidential elections in February. Chaves cannot run for reelection but is supporting his party’s candidate.

“Unfortunately, once again it’s the women and people with the ability to bear children who have to carry the weight that they negotiate our rights in exchange for obtaining votes or appealing to conservative groups,” said Laura Valenciano, a human rights advocate with the nongovernmental organization Citizen Association ACCEDER, which stands for Strategic Actions for Human Rights.

Costa Rica has long banned most abortions with some exceptions. These were not clearly defined until a rule in 2019 said that an abortion could be carried out if the mother’s health was at risk.

Valenciano said that she was not aware of an abortion carried out under that exception during Chaves’ presidency. She called on him to provide data.

“The people would see they're making a smoke screen and distracting us from very important issues,” Valenciano said.

Chaves was viewed with skepticism by some women when he ran for president in 2022. The World Bank found that the conservative economist had sexually harassed various women while he was employed there, and he was eventually sanctioned for misconduct, demoted and pushed out. He has continually denied the allegations.