Chile: 3 Women Stabbed in March to Legalize Abortion

Three women in Chile were stabbed during a march to demand free and safe abortions by a group of hooded people who assaulted the protesters in Santiago.

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Around 40,000 women marched in the Chilean capital, carrying signs that read “the rich pay for it, the poor bleed out,” and “women marching until we are free.” During the march, different women’s movement announced they would present a bill to regulate the voluntary termination of a pregnancy within the first 14 weeks on all cases.

The three injured women have received medical attention and are currently not under risk of death. However, there is a concerning trend of violence and harassment against pro-choice activists. In Argentina, where the Senate is debating a bill to legalize abortion within the first 14 weeks, several videos showing men threatening women for carrying their staple green handkerchief have surfaced recently.

In some cases, women are threatened with rape.  

“This is terrorism; I don’t want to call it any other way. When a group wants to intimidate another to keep them from expressing their ideas freely,” Macarena Castañeda, spokesperson for the Mesa de Accion por el Aborto, one of the groups leading the fight for access to free abortion in Chile.

Social media users in Chile have also highlighted the irony of the attack. “They stab three women in Santiago de Chile during a march to legalize abortion because life matters… But the life of women?”

The hooded attackers also injured a security officer. According to the police, several attackers are currently detained.