The regulation allows the voluntary termination of pregnancy in cases of rape, when the mother’s life is in danger or the fetus cannot survive outside the uterus.

Last week, the president of the extremist Republican Party, Arturo Squella, said that they would seek to repeal the law if they win a majority in the National Congress.

The Republicans are the first force in the Constitutional Council in charge of preparing the draft Constitution and want to eliminate the right.

In an open letter, more than 200 organizations described as unacceptable that the party seeks to impose measures that violate the fundamental rights of women, girls and pregnant women on the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état.

The interruption of pregnancy on those three grounds represents an ethical minimum to safeguard the health of those who face risks in their lives and allows them to decide freely and responsibly in complex circumstances. Denying this right would be a step backwards in the fight for gender equality and would place Chile on the short list of countries that penalize abortion in all circumstances, the organizations said in the letter.

The Minister for Women and Gender Equality, Antonia Orellana, expressed her concern about the Republicans’ intention, and announced having received messages from many organizations, and not from the most radical feminists, but from those linked to poverty and childhood.

According to Government Spokeswoman Camila Vallejo, the Executive will continue to defend abortion on all three grounds, which took a long time to conquer.

Senator Claudia Pascual, in turn, tweeted that “Chile must advance with women, not against them. We demand no regression in our rights.” jg/llp/oda/car