The demonstrations led to a scuffle: A new abortion law is now causing fierce confrontations in Peru as well. Women's rights activists who want to leave it up to pregnant women to decide whether and when to abort a fetus are engaged in bitter battles with anti-abortion activists. During the week, the police in Lima had to intervene rigorously to stop the physical confrontations.
So far, abortion is only allowed in the Andean country if the life of the expectant mother is in danger. Now the ie is whether the woman should be given a "right" to terminate the pregnancy if she was the victim of rape or the fetus has severe deformities. About an extension of the paragraph the parliament discusses starting from December. In the population the project is controversial. According to poll conducted by the University of Lima, 59 percent of Peruvians are in favor of abortion without punishment when the mother's life is in danger. Some 48 percent are in favor of it if it has been preceded by rape. On the other hand, 80 percent of those surveyed reject abortion for economic reasons or when the expectant mother is still a minor. A mixed mood, as in many other Latin American countries – and the debates continue correspondingly heatedly. The country's influential Catholic Church in particular, with its strict protection of life, has come under fire from radical reform advocates. Women religious attacked with sexist slogans; church representatives are target of fierce criticism.
Cardinal in the crit The biggest bogeyman of the supporters is Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani. If he himself were pregnant, abortion would certainly be canonized, a poster said polemically. The capital's archbishop is labeled an enemy of progress and women. The latter, in turn, repeatedly emphasizes that many abortions are rooted in the "machismo" of men. These often demanded the termination of pregnancies against the will of the women. Cardinal speaks of abortion as a "death penalty" for innocent unborn and offered that the church would take care of unwanted children. Health Minister Oscar Ugarte called on supporters and opponents of liberalization to remain calm and condemned polemical attacks from both sides. President Alan Garcia, on the other hand, has remained silent on the ie, although so far he has repeatedly stressed his opposition to abortion legalization. Both opponents and supporters of the plans can draw on disturbing figures. According to nongovernmental organizations, about 400 women nationwide undergo the procedures.000 women annually abort. Especially in the countryside, this happens under precarious and unsanitary conditions. According to the Ministry of Health, abortion is the fourth leading cause of death in Peru. About 1.According to the report, 800 women die each year as a result of the procedures. By way of comparison, in Germany, with a population almost three times as large, the number of registered abortions last year was 122.000.