The Roman Catholic Church and some groups in Chile are voicing opposition to President Michelle Bachelet's policy allowing the government to distribute no-cost emergency contraceptives at public hospitals to minors as young as age 14, the New York Times reports (Rohter, New York Times, 12/17). Chilean Health Minister Maria Soledad Barria in September announced the government's plan to distribute EC, which can prevent pregnancy if taken up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse and has been available since 2001 in Chilean pharmacies by prescription. It also has been available to teenagers who obtain parental consent. However, EC -- which costs about $20 in the country -- only has been accessible to the middle and upper classes, some people have said. Implementation of the plan was delayed after the Santiago, Chile, Appeals Court on Sept. 13 issued a temporary injunction on the plan. The injunction came after two parents and La Florida, Chile, Mayor Pablo Zalaquett filed lawsuits seeking to block implementation of the law, according to Alejandro Espinoza, a spokesperson for Chile's Supreme Court. Zalaquett in early September said the government's plan would violate parental rights to make decisions about contraception and pregnancy. A panel of the Santiago Appeals Court on Sept. 26 overturned the injunction (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 9/26).

Policy, Reaction
Government statistics indicate that 15% of births in Chile are among girls ages 18 or younger, most of whom cannot afford private medical care. According to the Times, Bachelet has said that the decision to make EC available is one of social justice and that because "not everyone is equal and not everyone has the same possibilities," her duty is "to guarantee that all Chileans have real options in this area, as in others." The country's Roman Catholic Church has "condemned distribution of the pill as a form of abortion that encourages promiscuity and intrudes on personal freedoms," the Times reports. The national conference of bishops in a statement said the government's actions are "reminiscent of public policies established in totalitarian regimes, by which the state aimed to regulate the intimate lives of its citizens." Some groups are criticizing Bachelet for not "pushing hard enough" on issues such as EC and abortion, according to the Times. "The fact that we have a woman president is not enough to bring about the changes we need," Valentina Martinez of the woman's group La Morada said, adding, "Abortion needs to be decriminalized in Chile, but there are authoritarian voices on the right and in the church that have vetoed any kind of real debate or discussion" (New York Times, 12/17).

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