Uruguay president signs abortion bill

24 Oct 2012, 12:17 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Uruguay is now only the second South American country to legalise abortion, after English-speaking Guyana in 1995. (Getty)

Uruguay is now only the second South American country to legalise abortion, after English-speaking Guyana in 1995. (Getty)

Uruguay's President Jose Mugica has signed an abortion bill, making his country only the second in South America to legalise the procedure.

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Uruguay's President Jose Mugica has signed an abortion bill, making his country only the second in mainly Catholic South America to legalise the procedure.

The groundbreaking law will take effect in 30 days.

It won final passage from congress last week.

The law allows women to have abortions with no questions asked up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy, and under certain conditions after that.

Uruguay is now only the second South American country to legalise abortion, after English-speaking Guyana in 1995.

Cuba, a Latin American nation in the Caribbean, did so in 1965 and procedures are also legal in Mexico City.

The issue is highly divisive in Uruguay. Conservative opposition MPs are studying ways to overturn the new law, including calling a referendum.

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Your Comments

Shame

Mfga - from Perth, 7 months ago

Unfortunately it's the way the world is going. Punishing the innocent baby. Murder.

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