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WORLD NEWS Friday 8 december 2017

Bolivia lawmakers vote to ease right abortion restrictions

gious groups. and the government has
The Legislative Assembly estimated that more than
vote will allow “students, 80,000 clandestine abor-
adolescents or girls” to tions occur each year in
have abortions up to the the country of about 11 mil-
eighth week of pregnancy. lion people.
The measure doesn’t spec- “They are not safe. They
ify ages, but it appears to are induced with herbs or in
apply to girls up to and in- clandestine places. That’s
cluding 17 years old and why this reform helps great-
older students who still de- ly,” she said.
pend on their parents or The local Catholic Church
guardians. has staged large marches
Abortion in Bolivia currently against the reform and
is allowed only when the the spokesman for a na-
woman’s life is in danger, tional anti-abortion move-
in the case of a malformed ment, Luis Aruquipa, said
fetus or in cases of rape or the measure “encourages
incest. Illegal abortion carry genocide.”
prison terms of up to three Neighboring Chile in Au-
years. gust approved a measure
President Evo Morales has easing the last absolute
Women hold signs with Spanish messages: “Clandestine or legal, abortion kills all the same,” left, said he’ll sign the measure, ban on abortions in South
and “A pregnant woman needs support not abortion,” center below, and “Abortion is the great-
est violence against women,” far right, on the first day of their hunger strike to protest abortions despite opposition from America. Elsewhere in
outside the Cathedral in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. Bolivian lawmakers voted on Catholic and Evangelical Central America and the
Wednesday to ease the country’s tight restrictions on abortions, shrugging aside opposition from churches in the country. Caribbean, El Salvador,
religious groups. Health Minister Ariana Nicaragua, Honduras and
(AP Photo/Juan Karita) Campero said abortion is the Dominic(asterisk)an Re-
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bo- Wednesday to ease the on abortions, shrugging the third-leading cause of public prohibit abortions in
livian lawmakers voted country’s tight restrictions aside opposition from reli- maternal death in Bolivia all cases.q

US, Colombia vow to redouble efforts against drug trade

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) dent Donald Trump threat- In a short statement af- two decades. and a peace deal that
— U.S. and Colombian offi- ened to decertify Colom- ter the meeting, Marti- The amount of land de- provides benefits to coca
cials vowed Thursday to re- bia as a partner in the war nez said the three nations voted to coca cultivation farmers who agree to sub-
double efforts against drug against drugs unless the would “strengthen coop- had steadily declined but stitute their crops.
trafficking as the South south American nation re- eration among each other began rising again in 2014, Colombian officials have
American nation contends verses a rise in coca culti- to effectively battle this according to the United vowed to eradicate 100,000
with a record surge in coca vation. scourge.” Nations Office on Drugs hectares of coca this year
production that has tested Cultivation of the plant “We’re gonna make prog- and Crime. through a combination of
the relationship between used to make cocaine rose ress,” Sessions said after The biggest jump was seen forced and voluntary de-
the two nations. in 2016 to levels unseen shaking hands with Marti- last year, when the agency struction of the plants. Au-
U.S. Attorney General Jeff in nearly two decades of nez. registered a 52 percent in- thorities announced this
Sessions met with his Co- U.S. eradication efforts, ac- Colombia is the U.S.’s crease in the area where week they had met the
lombian counterpart, chief cording to a White House staunchest ally in the region coca is grown. goal of eradicating 50,000
prosecutor Nestor Marti- report. The prosecutors also and one of the largest re- The rise coincided with hectares through force. In-
nez, and a delegation from discussed money launder- cipients of U.S. foreign aid. both a decision by Presi- dependent analysts do not
Mexico in the Caribbean ing and human trafficking, The U.S. has spent more dent Juan Manuel Santos expect they will succeed
city of Cartagena Thurs- two issues frequently inter- than $10 billion in counter- to stop the use of crop- in reaching that same
day. The meeting came twined with the illegal drug narcotics work in Colombia destroyed herbicides due number through voluntary
three months after Presi- trade. over the course of nearly to health concerns in 2015 eradication.q