Chile Congress lifts abortion ban

Chile's Congress on Wednesday eased a strict ban on abortion in effect since the final days of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship nearly three decades ago. The measure, which passed with a 22-13 vote in the Senate, allows abortion in cases of rape, if the mother's life is at risk or if the fetus presents a deadly birth defect. It now awaits a ruling by the Constitutional Court at the request of the opposition.