Remarks on abortion decriminalization in Colombia

Abstract

Ruling C-325 by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Colombia in 2006 constitutes a framework for the interpretation and analysis of restricted liberalization of abortion in Colombia. In the heated context of the Colombian idiosyncrasy, such decision by the Court was a complicated task, made even harder by the fact that the issue of abortion is discussed not only by the Law, but by other scientific and philosophical disciplines and normative systems as well. This paper is divided into four parts. First, the issues constituting the background of the decision by the Court are presented and analyzed. Then, the legal and ideological debate preceding the decision is considered. Third, the decision is seen from the perspective of bioethics. And finally, some consequences of this decision within the Colombian context are briefly mentioned.