Bolivians March For Life And Family On International Women’s Day

Santa Cruz, Bolivia – On Friday, an estimated two thousand Bolivians wearing white marched through the streets of Santa Cruz, despite intermittent rain, to call for pro-life and pro-family policies.

Organized by the ACE Evangelical Association of Santa Cruz, Ibero-American Congress for Life and Family and Unidad Ciudadana (a coalition of Bolivian pro-life organizations), the March rallied both young and old.

Chanting broke out in the crowd with sayings like, “Listen Bolivia, America is pro-life!”,  “Abortion is illegal and also it's criminal!”, and “Listen Bolivia, defend your family!”

Although abortion is illegal in Bolivia, it is not punished in certain cases such as rape, incest or life of the mother. Practically, “abortion” in Bolivia looks different than in other countries. Instead of terminating the preborn baby in the womb, in Bolivia birth is induced early (around 30 weeks or later) and the babies are left to die without medical care. If doctors try to intervene to help the babies, they face legal ramifications.

For example, in 2022 Indigo was born to a 12-year-old rape victim. The brave Bolivian girl didn't want an abortion, although she realized that she was unable to raise her child. A Catholic center took her in. Around 32 weeks into her pregnancy, the government took the girl against her will (since she was a minor) to a hospital and forced an early labor. Her son Indigo lived for three days after birth, despite the refusal of the government to allow the baby to receive basic medical care necessary for premies.

Despite these challenges, brave Bolivians are rising up to counter the tide pushed in their county, both politically and socially. Foundations are supporting women in pregnancy crisis. Legal associations are suing the government to demand protection of conscience for doctors who do not want to perform abortions. Churches and organizations are educating about biblical teaching regarding sexuality and creating counternarratives. 

Bolivia is pro-life!

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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