Abstract : As a colony of the United States, abortion became legal in Puerto Rico, as a consequence of the US Supreme Courtrulingin Roe v. Wade, rather than as a consequence of intemal political developments. In spite of a wide variety of foreign-sponsored population experiments and policies, developed with the active participation of government, opposition to abortion emerged in Puerto Rico and women's right to abortion has not been fully accepted by government officials or health professionals. Using data from a survey carried out in 1991-1992 of women attending 10 of the 13 private abortion clinics, and other sources of historical information, this paper examines the current practice of abortion and the hurdles women face to obtain this service, taldnginto consideration the impact of colonial subordination. The colonial legality of abortion in Puerto Rico has both supported and deterred Puerto Rican women's right to abortion, and other means of ensuring that right need to be found.
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