{"id":18018,"date":"2020-12-30T04:33:59","date_gmt":"2020-12-30T09:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=18018"},"modified":"2020-12-30T04:33:59","modified_gmt":"2020-12-30T09:33:59","slug":"argentina-abortion-senate-votes-in-favour-of-legalisation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2020\/12\/30\/argentina-abortion-senate-votes-in-favour-of-legalisation\/","title":{"rendered":"Argentina abortion: Senate votes in favour of legalisation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Argentina’s Congress has legalised abortions up to the 14th week of pregnancy, a ground-breaking law for a region that has some of the world’s most restrictive termination laws.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Senators voted in favour of the bill after a marathon session with 38 in favour, 29 against and one abstention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Until now, abortions were only permitted in cases of rape or when the mother’s health was at risk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

The bill had been approved by the Chamber of Deputies earlier this month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

The Catholic Church, which remains highly influential in Latin America, had opposed the move, calling on senators to reject the bill.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Pro-choice activists hope the passing of the law in Argentina – one of the largest and most influential countries in Latin America – will inspire other countries to follow suit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Long fought for change<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Activists have campaigned for a change in the law for years. The passing came two years after senators narrowly voted against legalising abortion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"A<\/span><\/div>
The vote had been predicted to be close and there was a tense wait in both camps for the outcome (Image: Reuters)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"Demonstrators<\/span><\/div>
Opponents of abortion also followed the debate but were separated from pro-choice demonstrators (Image: Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

President Alberto Fern\u00e1ndez, who supported the bill, had made reintroducing it one of his campaign promises. “I’m Catholic but I have to legislate for everyone,” he argued.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

President Fern\u00e1ndez also said that providing free and legal abortions up to the 14th week of pregnancy was a matter of public health as “every year around 38,000 women are taken to hospital due to (clandestine) abortions and since the restoration of democracy (in 1983) more than 3,000 have died”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

After the vote, he said: “Today, we’re a better society.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Emotional debate<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Large crowds of campaigners both for and against abortion had gathered outside Congress in the capital Buenos Aires.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n