Colômbia
Legal | Abortion Pills | Local Organizations | Scam List
Abortion Laws and Policies
Overview
Abortion is decriminalized within 12 weeks of pregnancy.
It is permitted in cases of rape, incest, if the pregnancy endangers the woman or person's life,including mental or physical health or if the pregnancy is the result of a criminal act of unwanted artificial insemination or unwanted implantation of a fertilized ovum, or when there is serious malformation of the fetus that makes its life unfeasible. No limitation regarding the lengths of pregnancy is mentioned in the legal text.
A police report s required in cases of rape.
Women cannot be denied a legal abortion due to the type of social security or health coverage they are affiliated with.
Penal law criminalizes women and pregnant people for having an abortion outside of the conditions specified in the law. Abortion providers and people who assists may be criminalized if they perfom an abortion outside of the conditions specified in the law.
Medical practitioners and providers have the right to refuse abortion services based on personal beliefs. However, medical practitioners and providers are obligated to refer individuals to another provider if they refuse service. So called conscientious objection cannot be practiced in cases where the life of the woman or pregnant person is at risk.
Claim your rights
Access to abortion is a fundamental human right and a basic healthcare need. If you live in a country with restrictions to abortion access, you can visit Women on Web to request abortion pills or learn more about the local support and resources available in your country.
About Abortion Pills
An abortion with pills is a safe and effective way to end a pregnancy at home. There are two ways to have an abortion with pills:
- Have an abortion with a pill called Mifepristone and another pill called Misoprostol;
- Have an abortion with the pill Misoprostol only.
You already have abortion pills? Find instructions, information around dosage, safety precautions and tips here.
Mifepristone
Mifepristone is officially registered by the country’s pharmaceutical authority.
A doctor's prescription may be required to get Mifepristone.
Mifepristone can be bought in Pharmacy distribution
Misoprostol
Misoprostol is registered
It is registered for gynecological indications (such as birth, miscarriage treatment or abortion care etc.)
Yes (some vendors may request it)
Misoprostol can be bought in
These are brand names under which Mifepristone, Misoprostol or Combi Packs (that contain both abortion pills Mifepristone and Misoprostol) are officially distributed and/or commonly found in the country.
Brand names
Mifepristone:
Mifepristona (Linepharma) (in renewal process)
Mediprist, 200 mg. ProFamilia (Distribuitor)
A-Kare (DKT-India)
Misoprostol:
Cytil V, 50 µg. Tecnoquímicas
Cytil V, 200 µg. Tecnoquímicas
Industol, 200 µg, Tecnoquímicas (in the process of renewal of registration)
Safety notice
There are pills that contain a combination of Misoprostol and the painkiller Diclofenac. While manufactured for a different purpose they can still be used for abortion. Specific instructions need to be followed to avoid overdosing the Diclofenac.
This is the estimated cost of abortion pills in your country. Please reach out if your experience has been different from the information available here.
Cost of Abortion Pills
- Misoprostol:
- 25 µg, $3.20 USD per pill
- 50 µg, $7.00 USD per pill
- 200 µg, $1.00 – $4.60 USD per pill
- It is presented in a bottle for 7 200 mcg misoprostol tablets and a box for 8 200 mcg misoprostol tablets. Bottle of 7 tablets $126,000 Colombian pesos (approximately $25 USD) - Fundación Oriéntame, November 2022
- Misprostol $20,000 Colombian pesos per pill (4USD). Mifepristone is not commercially distributed. There are private entities that can charge $400,000 pesos (80USD) for care and the medical abortion kit. - Colectiva Sangrona, November 2022
- Combipack from $200.000 Colombian pesos each pack. - Las Parceras, November 2022
Local Organizations and Resources
- Fundación Oriéntame
Free, legal and safe abortion service provider. Post-abortion psychological counseling. Advice and provision of contraceptive methods. Counseling and testing for sexual infections. Specialized consultation for gynecology. Free services: pregnancy tests, emergency contraception, psychosocial counseling in case of unwanted pregnancy.
On-site sexual and reproductive health services in the cities of Bogotá, Medellín, Barranquilla, Valledupar, Cúcuta, Dosquebradas, Ipiales and Villavicencio. Or in virtual modality by telemedicine anywhere in Colombia.
Comprehensive sexual education programs and territorial and community actions for the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence.
Contact center for advice and appointment scheduling available Monday through Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. via web chat at www.orientame.org.co and telephone 601 744 7633 or national toll-free line 01 8000 182 182
Social Networks
https://www.facebook.com/OrientameFundacion/
https://www.instagram.com/fundacion.orientame/
https://twitter.com/orientame
https://www.youtube.com/user/FundacionOrientame
https://www.tiktok.com/@fundacionorientame
https://co.linkedin.com/company/fundacionorientame - Colectiva Sangrona
Safe abortion. Information and accompaniment.
(+57) 314 8647788
colectivasangrona@riseup.net
@cecilias_sangronas - Mesa por la Salud y la Vida de las Mujeres
Sexual and reproductive heatlh.
(+57) 320 2733179 - Las Parceras - Feminist Abortion Accompaniment Network
Information and support before, during and after, safely and with a gender focus.
3187505775 every day from 5 pm to 10 pm or also through the Signal application at the same number.
lasparceras@riseup.net - Profamilia. Clinic specialized in abortion
- Purple Hotline - Mujeres que escuchan Mujeres
Free hotline of the Mayor's Office of Bogotá for the prevention and care of violence against women and information on access to health, legal and sexual and reproductive rights protection services. It works 24 hours, 365 days a year. Attended by psychologists, social workers, lawyers and nurses.
01 8000 112 137
WhatsApp 300 755 1846 - Mesa por la Vida y la Salud de las Mujeres
Non-governmental organization that offers free legal advice and accompaniment to women, adolescents, girls and people with the possibility of pregnancy so that their right to abortion is guaranteed.
WhatsApp (+57) 320 273 3179
Scams
Watch out for fake abortion clinics and sellers online. See or contribute to our list of scams & stay safe!
Other Databases and Sources
These are the sources and databases used to gather the information listed on this country profile.
- 02.12.2022/WHO, Global Abortion Policies Database: https://abortion-policies.srhr.org/country/colombia/
- 25.08.2022/Medical Abortion Commodities Database: https://www.medab.org/advanced-search-multiple-results?country=372&commodity=all&brand=all#multiple-search-result
- 05.08.2022/safe2choose: https://safe2choose.org/abortion-information/countries/colombia
- 25.08.2022/National Medicine Authority/database: https://consultaregistro.invima.gov.co/Consultas/consultas/consreg_encabcum.jsp
- National Medicine Authority; Mifepristone:
- National medicine authority; Misoprostol:
- 02.12.2022/Global Map of Norms regarding Conscientious Objection: https://www.redaas.org.ar/conscientious-objection-map
- 02.12.2022/Reproductive Rights Map: https://reproductiverights.org/maps/worlds-abortion-laws/?country=COL
Colombia: Clinics and Organizations
Misoprostol widely available and cheap under the brand names Cytotec and Zetec…
Community Comments
Overview
Misoprostol is sold by prescription. Some chain pharmacies sell it if you have a prescription. It can also be obtained at medical centers that offer voluntary termination of pregnancy services when requesting pharmacological abortion treatment in pregnancies of less than 12 weeks.
It is important before requesting the pregnancy termination service, whether it is a state or private health center, to make sure that you are really pregnant, this can be through a rapid pharmacy test carried out when you are at least two weeks late.
To obtain abortion care, it is recommended to go to the State health services or through recognized private medical centers, since in Colombia there is an offer on the internet of abortion pills without medical guarantees, which sometimes results in scams for false, adulterated medicines, incomplete doses or expired.
There is also warning of the action of groups opposed to reproductive autonomy that harass people who go to medical centers where abortions are performed, they usually redouble their activity in March and September.
Fundacion Orientame, November 2022
It is difficult to get Mifepristone in Colombia. Profamilia has agreements with some entities of the compulsory health regime and this can facilitate access, especially if the person seeking the service belongs to the subsidized regime. However, for those who do not have any health regime or are in non-urban territories, access continues to be very limited. Social organizations are the ones who support in many cases to access the medicine.
Misoprostol in Colombia is administered by public and private medical entities, it is also distributed in pharmacies, in some cases with a prescription. Access is not entirely easy, there may be access barriers placed by health service providers or care in pharmacies, also in pharmacies it is very expensive. Our recommendation to get it in pharmacies is that the purchase be made by an older person.
We recommend contacting feminist and social movement organizations to access secure and verified information. It is important to look for reliable sources about the self-induced medical abortion procedure as there is a lot of false information on the internet.
Colectiva Sangrona, November 2022
It is important not to buy from internet vendors or pharmacies that profit from desperation by requesting large sums for incomplete doses, the best is in safe clinics such as Profamilia or Orientarme. Also with Las Parceras to do it at home properly without risks. Those who pose as the Cytotec brand and have several Colombian web pages to sell, provide wrong doses at high costs without accompaniment and based on misinformation, they represent fraud and unsafe abortion.
Las Parceras, November 2022