Chilean Right-Wing Groups Push "Listen to Your Heart" Initiative as Abortion Barrier

A controversial project termed "Listen to Your Heart" is being promoted by far-right groups in Chile, aiming to influence women's decisions regarding abortion. These groups are actively framing the initiative as a measure of "informed consent," suggesting that compelling women to listen to fetal heartbeats is a necessary step.

Their justification for this approach is rooted in combating what they describe as Chile's "historic demographic crisis." Proponents argue that such measures are essential to encourage childbirth and address declining birth rates, positioning the project as a patriotic duty.

"Listen to Your Heart" functions as a significant barrier to abortion access in at least three regions of the country. By imposing this requirement, the project effectively obstructs women seeking to terminate pregnancies, highlighting a contentious intersection of reproductive rights, political ideology, and demographic concerns in Chile.