Montevideo, Uruguay, Jan 6, 2005 / 22:00 pm
More than 50 feminist organizations have sent an open letter to Uruguayan President-elect Tabaré Vásquez demanding he support the legalization of abortion in that country. As 2004 drew to a close Vásquez publicly stated his opposition to such a move.
Arguing that the State should maintain its “laicity” and “the plurality of society,” feminists complained that the President-elect met with representatives of the Catholic Church to discuss the problem of abortion.
“Once more, certain aspects that affect family life and a woman’s right to choose have again become the subject of conversations behind closed doors between politicians and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church,” they complained.
Arguing that the majority of Uruguayans support legal abortion, feminists are pressuring Vásquez to act accordingly.