The new president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, declared this week that he will veto a bill that Congress is debating to regulate abortion in cases of rape.

“I am determined to veto it, I cannot tell you if it will be a total or partial veto, it depends on the final text of the National Assembly,” Lasso said.

Last April, Ecuador’s Constitutional Court decriminalized abortion in all cases of rape. Hitherto, it was only permitted for disabled women or if a mother’s life were endangered.

The latest proposal before Parliament says that there will be no need for a complaint, examination or prior statement from the pregnant woman who decides to have an abortion because of rape.

“This bill, if it is approved as it has been known in the media, obviously will be vetoed by the Executive,” Lasso said. “Ecuador knows me, I am a person who believes in the defence of life from conception to natural death.”

“I don’t believe in abortion, just as I don’t believe in the death penalty.”

However, he also said that although he did not agree with the Constitutional Court, he would respect the decision of the judges.

Lasso was elected in April after an upset victory. A social conservative who promised economic competence, he currently has an approval rating of more than 70%, mostly because of his handling of the Covid-19 crisis.