Chile's Congress on Wednesday eased a strict ban on abortion in effect since the final days of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship nearly three decades ago.

The measure, which passed with a 22-13 vote, allows abortion in cases of rape, if the mother's life is at risk or if the fetus presents a deadly birth defect. It now awaits a ruling by the Constitutional Court at the request of the opposition.

In this deeply conservative country, the measure has been a priority for President Michelle Bachelet, Chile's first woman president and a pediatrician by training.