Chile's 'Listen to Your Heart' bill faces backlash after actress Amaya Forch discloses rape

Actress and singer Amaya Forch revealed in a letter to El Mercurio that she was raped abroad three decades ago and that the experience raised painful questions about the possibility of carrying a child conceived through violence. She used the disclosure to condemn Chile’s proposed “Escucha su corazón” (Listen to Your Heart) bill, which would require doctors to inform women of fetal heart activity and offer them the chance to hear it before an abortion.

The bill, sponsored by deputies from the libertarian National Party and the Republican Party of President José Antonio Kast, seeks to add a procedural step to the 2017 law that already permits abortion for three specific causes. Critics—including health‑care unions, women’s rights groups, and several members of Congress—argue the measure revictimizes women, creates undue emotional pressure, and could block legal abortions even in cases of rape, fetal inviability, or maternal danger. Health‑care professionals described it as “deeply revictimizing” and a setback for reproductive rights.

Government ministries have declined to comment directly, referring the issue to parliament. Multiple parliamentary and civil‑society statements call the proposal a form of institutional violence and demand that the legislation be halted. The controversy reflects a broader cultural clash in Chile over abortion rights and the influence of far‑right politics on women’s health policy.