Protection of Conscience Project
Protection of Conscience Project
www.consciencelaws.org
Service, not Servitude

Service, not Servitude
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Chile

Sanitary Code, Decree with the force of law No. 725

Introduction

In September, 2017, Chile passed a law to regulate abortion.  The law permits abortion in three circumstances:

(1) to save the life of the mother (no gestational limit),

(2)  when the embryo or fetus has a lethal defect "incompatible with independent extrauterine life" (no gestational limit),

(3) in the case of rape (gestational limit of 12 weeks for a girl 14 years of age and over, 14 weeks for a girl under 14 years of age)

The protection of conscience provision in Article 119.3 (below) requires that objecting health care practitioners give prior written notice to the institution.  The institution is then required to find a non-objecting practitioner, either within the facility, or by referral elsewhere. 

However, Article 119.3 also provides that conscientious objection, while personal, may be exercised by institutions.  The problem here is that both individual and institutional objectors may find referral unacceptable if they believe (as many do) that it makes them complicit in a morally obectionable act. 

- Administrator

Original Text

Caution: machine assisted translation

Codigo Sanitario
Sanitary Code
Decreto Con Fuerza De Ley No. 725
Decree with the force of law No. 725

Artículo 119. Mediando la voluntad de la mujer, se autoriza la interrupción de su embarazo por un médico cirujano, en los términos regulados en los artículos siguientes, cuando:

Article 119. Mediating the will of the woman, the interruption of her pregnancy is authorized by a surgeon, in the terms regulated in the following articles, when:

1) La mujer se encuentre en riesgo vital, de modo que la interrupción del embarazo evite un peligro para su vida.

1) The life of the woman is at risk, so that the interruption of pregnancy prevents a danger to her life.

2) El embrión o feto padezca una patología congénita adquirida o genética, incompatible con la vida extrauterina independiente, en todo caso de carácter letal.

2) The embryo or fetus has an acquired or genetic congenital pathology, incompatible with independent extrauterine life, in any case of a lethal nature.

3) Sea resultado de una violación, siempre que no hayan transcurrido más de doce semanas de gestación. Tratándose de una niña menor de 14 años, la interrupción del embarazo podrá realizarse siempre que no hayan transcurrido más de catorce semanas de gestación.

3) it is the result of a rape, provided that no more than twelve weeks of gestation have elapsed. In the case of a girl under 14 years of age, the interruption of pregnancy may be carried out provided that no more than fourteen weeks of gestation have elapsed.

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Artículo 119 ter. El médico cirujano requerido para interrumpir el embarazo por alguna de las causales descritas en el inciso primero del artículo 119 podrá abstenerse de realizarlo cuando hubiese manifestado su objeción de conciencia al director del establecimiento de salud, en forma escrita y previa. De este mismo derecho gozará el resto del personal al que corresponda desarrollar sus funciones al interior del pabellón quirúrgico durante la intervención. En este caso, el establecimiento tendrá la obligación de reasignar de inmediato otro profesional no objetante a la paciente. Si el establecimiento de salud no cuenta con ningún facultativo que no haya realizado la manifestación de objeción de conciencia, deberá derivarla en forma inmediata para que el procedimiento le sea realizado por quien no haya manifestado dicha objeción. El Ministerio de Salud dictará los protocolos necesarios para la ejecución de la objeción de conciencia. Dichos protocolos deberán asegurar la atención médica de las pacientes que requieran la interrupción de su embarazo en conformidad con los artículos anteriores. La objeción de conciencia es de carácter personal y podrá ser invocada por una institución.

Article 119.3  The surgeon required to terminate the pregnancy due to any of the causes described in the first paragraph of Article 119 may refrain from doing so if he has previously expressed his conscientious objection to the director of the health facility, in written form. The rest of the personnel who are responsible for performing their functions inside the surgical pavilion during the intervention have the same right. In such a case, the establishment will have the obligation to immediately reassign another non-objecting professional to the patient. If the health facility does not have any doctor who has not given notice of conscientious objection, it must refer the case immediately so that the procedure is carried out by anyone who has not expressed such objection. The Ministry of Health will issue the necessary protocols for the execution of conscientious objection. These protocols must ensure the medical attention of patients who require the interruption of their pregnancy in accordance with the previous articles. Conscientious objection is of a personal nature and may be invoked by an institution.

Si el profesional que ha manifestado objeción de conciencia es requerido para interrumpir un embarazo, tendrá la obligación de informar de inmediato al director del establecimiento de salud que la mujer requirente debe ser derivada.

If the professional who has expressed conscientious objection is required to interrupt a pregnancy, he will have the obligation to immediately inform the director of the health facility that the requesting woman must be referred.

En el caso de que la mujer requiera atención médica inmediata e impostergable, invocando la causal del número 1) del inciso primero del artículo 119, quien haya manifestado objeción de conciencia no podrá excusarse de realizar la interrupción del embarazo cuando no exista otro médico cirujano que pueda realizar la intervención.

In the event that the woman requires immediate and urgent medical attention, invoking the cause of number 1) of the first paragraph of article 119, those who have expressed conscientious objection cannot be excused from performing the termination of pregnancy when there is no other surgeon who can perform the intervention.