the United Nations Human Rights Council expressed concern over the country's "improperly restrictive" legislation on abortion, especially in cases where the life of the mother is at risk. The UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights also expressed concern over the country's "excessively restrictive abortion laws" in May 2009. Move towards liberalisation of the law On 19 July 2017, the Senate of Chile approved legislation permitting abortion under limited circumstances (if the pregnancy endangers the life of the woman, if the fetus is not viable, if the pregnancy resulted from rape) with 22 votes in favor and 13 against. On 3 August, the Chamber of Deputies of Chile approved the legislation with 70 votes in favor, 45 votes against and 1 abstention. On 21 August 2017, Chile's Constitutional Court accepted the constitutionality of the measure with a 6–4 vote. President Michelle Bachelet, who had already signed the draft bill version of the law in 2015 before it was passed in August 2017, praised the court's decision to make the bill a law. According to polls, 70% of Chileans approve of such a law. See also Abortion debate Abortion in El Salvador Abortion in Nicaragua References External links Protocol for "conscientious objectors" in Chile's abortion law. Ministry of Health of Chile, October 2018 (in Spanish). [Note: Section 2 of Article 13 was ruled unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court in December 2018.] (January 2018 version.) Chile Chile Society of Chile Women's rights in Chile Healthcare in Chile Law of Chile