JURIST - Paper Chase: Chile high court blocks free distribution of morning-after pill

[JURIST] The Constitutional Court of Chile [official website] on Friday blocked a government-sponsored program that distributed emergency contraceptives to women as young as 14 free of charge. The program [IPS report], approved by the Supreme Court in February, was introduced by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet [official website], who called it essential to creating equality among Chilean women. It was immediately met with criticism by the conservative opposition party which characterized the use of emergency contraceptives as abortion, and brought the case to the Constitutional Court. The program was struck down [press release, in Spanish] by a vote of 5-4, and the decision cannot be appealed.

Emergency contraceptives will still be available at pharmacies with a doctor's prescription, but supporters of the program say that the ruling unfairly targets poor Chilean women who cannot afford the pills. They also contend that the use of the "morning-after" pill does not constitute an abortion, which is illegal in Chile. AP has more. Bloomberg has additional coverage.

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