Demonstrators who had been in favor of decriminalizing abortion in all cases of rape gathered outside the National Assembly Tuesday after the vote, some trying to tear down metal fences around the building.
The Ecuadorian Assembly rejected the move to decriminalize abortions in cases of rape. A decriminalization proposal fell five votes short of the 70 required for its approval, with 59 assembly members voting against and six refrainings.
Had it been approved, the votes Tuesday would have modified 45 articles of the penal code and created six provisions to allow abortion in the cases of rape, incest, or poorly formed fetus.
Groups in favor of the plan claim some 2,500 teenagers give birth as a result of sexual assault in the country every year.
In Ecuador, a woman who carries out an abortion, or allows abortion to be performed on her, faces six months to two years in prison according to a law in place since 2014.
Sources: The Guardian, Reuters, teleSUR.
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