SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Costa Rica's President Rodrigo Chaves further restricted access to abortion Wednesday, limiting it to situations when the mother’s life is in danger.
The country's previous regulations also allowed abortions if a pregnancy posed a threat to the mother’s health. No legislative approval was required for the change.
In making the rule change through the Health Ministry, Chaves made good on a promise he had given religious conservatives at the Evangelical Alliance earlier this month.
“Today the only reason for which an abortion can be done without penalty is when there are only two options: the mother’s life or the life of the being that is inside,” Chaves said during a news conference.
While abortion access has advanced in recent years in some of Latin America's largest countries, including Mexico and Argentina, Central American governments have maintained strong restrictions. Countries including Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua have total bans, while Guatemala allows for abortion when the mother's life is at risk.
The Evangelical Alliance celebrated Chaves' change in a statement. “This is an opportunity to unite around a universal principle: the value of all human life,” said alliance President Pastor Ronald Vargas.
But those who support abortion access were quick to see a political deal ahead of next year’s presidential elections in February. Chaves cannot run for reelection but is supporting his party’s candidate.
“Unfortunately, once again it’s the women and people with the ability to bear children who have to carry the weight that they negotiate our rights in exchange for obtaining votes or appealing to conservative groups,” said Laura Valenciano, a human rights advocate with the nongovernmental organization Citizen Association ACCEDER, which stands for Strategic Actions for Human Rights.
Costa Rica has long banned most abortions with some exceptions. These were not clearly defined until a rule in 2019 said that an abortion could be carried out if the mother’s health was at risk.
Valenciano said that she was not aware of an abortion carried out under that exception during Chaves’ presidency. She called on him to provide data.
“The people would see they're making a smoke screen and distracting us from very important issues,” Valenciano said.
Chaves was viewed with skepticism by some women when he ran for president in 2022. The World Bank found that the conservative economist had sexually harassed various women while he was employed there, and he was eventually sanctioned for misconduct, demoted and pushed out. He has continually denied the allegations.
FILE - Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves gives a joint news conference with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at the presidential palace in San Jose, Costa Rica, June 25, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Pool Photo via AP, File)
The games have all been played. Now, it's time for a few more rounds of number crunching before the College Football Playoff bracket is revealed.
Among the few certainties when the pairings come out Sunday: Indiana (13-0) will enter the playoff at No. 1 and two of the folloiwng five teams will be crying up a storm: Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami, Duke and James Madison.
The first three will likely only get two spots in the 12-team bracket, as the selection committee will decide how much weight to place on Alabama's lopsided loss to Georgia on Saturday while the other two teams were idle.
And then the committee will have to decide whether Duke, unranked and with five losses, gets in over James Madison, which won the Sun Belt Conference and is 12-1. The Dukes are hoping to join American champion Tulane as a Group of Five gate-crasher: The CFP has never had two G5 teams in the mix before.
The four top-seeded teams will get first-round byes — starting with Indiana and probably including Ohio State, Georgia and Texas Tech — then the next eight will play games at the home stadiums of the higher-seeded teams beginning on Dec. 19. The next two rounds will take place Dec. 31-Jan. 1, then Jan. 8-9 at traditional bowl-game sites. The final is set for Jan. 19 outside of Miami.
The biggest debate and most of the second-guessing will center on the Alabama-Notre Dame-Miami decision.
Some believe the committee placed the Crimson Tide at No. 9, one spot ahead of the Fighting Irish, last week to create room for the Tide to lose, slide in the rankings but still make the field. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer says his team shouldn't be punished for advancing to a conference championship and losing.
“How can that hurt you and keep you out of the playoff?” he asked.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman wants the committee comparing his team to Alabama because, that way, the Irish could presumably end up at 9 or 10 and squeak into the bracket.
What he doesn't want is for the committee to compare his team to No. 12 Miami. On Aug. 31, the Hurricanes beat the Irish, and if those two squads are ranked right next to each other, that head-to-head matchup could be the difference even if it seems like a long time ago.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) celebrates his touchdown against Alabama during the second half of a Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Ohio State's Lorenzo Styles Jr. breaks up a pass intended for Indiana's Omar Cooper Jr. during the first half of the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game in Indianapolis, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
