Chile bans morning-after pill

The Chilean Supreme Court has decided to ban the morning-after birth-control pill, which had been approved by the health ministry.

The ruling, by three votes to two, followed legal action by several anti-abortion groups which claim that the pill has an abortive effect.

The government's public health institute maintains it is a contraceptive because it prevents fertilisation.

The court of appeal upheld this view in May and allowed the pill to be sold, but the decision has now been overturned.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service