Although Uruguay recently decriminalized first-trimester abortions, there may be hope for the fate of this Latin American country. Besides Cuba, Uruguay is the only country in the region to have legalized abortion.
However, as recently reported by LifeSiteNews, President José Mujica, who did sign the piece of legislation into law, has actually expressed his support for a referendum. The article mentions that Mujica has “surprised his own party” in expressing such support. Mujica is a socialist and a former Marxist Revolutionary. Before the bill even passed the Senate with a single-vote majority, the president had expressed his support and was expected to sign the bill. Thus, fear over the bill becoming law came early on and sadly was for good reason.
Coming from a man who expressed support for the bill and signed it, his statement on the referendum is a curious one:
“It’s an issue that a vote by the people would have to resolve. It’s an issue of conscience, something each one must resolve in his heart of hearts,” Mujica told the Uruguayan press on Tuesday.
A referendum would be good news for unborn children and pro-lifers because 56.1 percent of Uruguayans are pro-life. If the people are allowed to vote on the matter, as “an issue of conscience,” as said by the president himself, then Uruguay may once again be pro-life.
Further good news comes from the LifeSiteNews article in that “[f]ollowing passage, pro-life organizations have announced plans to file a complaint with the Organization of American States, and the opposition National Party has begun collecting signatures for a referendum.”
Thus, pro-lifers in Uruguay and those watching Uruguay from around the world can continue to monitor the country’s situation with hope. The president’s signing decriminalization of abortion into law may not be the final word. A referendum in place would give the people the final word, and confirm that the people of Uruguay, and across the Latin American region, are indeed pro-life.
