Abortion in Guatemala is illegal, except when needed to save the woman's life. Abortion was illegal without exception prior to 1973. Congressional Decree 17-73 altered the penal code to allow abortion in cases in which the pregnant woman's life is endangered in September 1973. The procedure must be done by a physician and approved by a second doctor. Article 3 of Chapter I in Title II of the Constitution of Guatemala grants the right to life from the point of conception. This article states that the government "guarantee and protects human life since its conception, as same as the integrity and security of the person." History and general context Articles 133 to 140 in Guatemala's Constitution detail the imprisonment sentences for women and doctors who seek or perform abortions. The length of the sentences varies based on the context of the abortion. Some factors that affect the sentencing are: whether the involved parties had knowledge of pregnancy, if there was consent of the woman and if violence contributed to the abortion. There is an increase in the severity of punishment for nonconsensual abortions and abortions because of assault. However, abortion is strictly illegal in instances of the preservation of physical health, mental health, rape, incest, fetal impairment, economic or social reasons or by request. Abortion is only permitted in Guatemala to save the woman's life given that all other means of saving her life had been tried. The government has attempted to lower the mortality rates of mothers and infants from induced abortions by advocating for the use of contraception as a preventive measure for an unwanted pregnancy. The method of contraception most commonly used is sterilization, which accounted for 60% of all the contraceptive use in Guatemala in 1995. In 1995, the contraceptive use among married women in Guatemala ages 15–44 was 27% and grew to 43% in 2002. However, unmet need for contraception among women in this age range rose from 19% to 28% from 1987 to 2002, showing that the reproductive health services in Guatemala are insufficient to help the entire population. Current political debate Since 1973, the Guatemalan government has expressed concern over the number of induced abortions. This has led to discussion over the number of health clinics that treat women suffering from complications from an induced abortion. There are one hundred and eighty-three health clinics in Guatemala that treat the effects of an induced