Santiago: Difference between revisions

In Chile, emergency contraception (the morning after pill) is legal in Chile. As of 2015, no prescription is required to purchase EC.<ref>[http://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/2015/09/05/chile-consent-the-morning-after-pill-sale-non-prescription.shtml Chile consent the “morning after pill” non prescription sale]</ref> However, it is a hotly debated and political issue. In 2006, President Michelle Bachelet liberalized contraception policy and made emergency contraception available for free in state-run hospitals, which were available to women ages 14 and up (with no parental consent required).<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/17/world/americas/17chile.html Policy on Morning-After Pill Upsets Chile]</ref> This change inflamed conservative critics. In 2008, the Constitutional Court of Chile banned free distribution of emergency contraception. Furthermore, the court ruled that the hormone levonorgestrel, which is found in EC pills, is “abortive”, and therefore against the right to life.<ref>[https://rewire.news/article/2009/10/19/chile-the-struggle-over-emergency-contraception/ Chile: The Struggle Over Emergency Contraception]</ref> In 2010, a new law allowed teenagers to purchase EC without parental consent.<ref>[http://www.latinpost.com/articles/18075/20140727/sales-of-morning-after-pill-have-tripled-since-2010-in-chile.htm Morning After Pill: Sales Have Tripled Since 2010 in Chile]</ref>