Colombia's constitutional court ruled on Monday that abortions performed before the 24th week of pregnancy should not be considered a crime. The court's decision was posted on Twitter.

Abortion will be punished only if it is carried out for a period of more than 24 weeks, the report says.

The court clarifies that at a later date, termination of pregnancy may be possible in case of rape, a threat to the life of the mother or the non-viability of the fetus.

The Court also urged Parliament and the government to develop and implement as soon as possible a comprehensive set of measures to implement the ruling.

Until now, abortions in Colombia have been allowed only for cases of rape, the threat to the life of the mother, or the non-viability of the fetus. In other cases, the woman and the doctor who terminated the pregnancy faced 16 to 54 months in prison.