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– It will be allowed, said the president of the Senate, Cristina Kirchner, after more than 12 hours of debate.
The decision means that there will be free admission to abort until the 14th week of pregnancy.
Until now, abortion has only been allowed if the woman has been raped or if a childbirth has endangered life and health.
Hundreds of thousands of illegal abortions are performed in Argentina each year, according to AFP.
Argentina will be the third country to allow self-determined abortion in South America.
Greetings and sadness
Outside the Senate, people who are for and against self-determined abortion have gathered.
On the streets, many are celebrating that self-determined abortion is now legal in Argentina.
The color green symbolizes the movement that has fought to legalize abortion.
Today, strong emotions are on the rise in Argentina.
The Argentine feminist movement has been demanding that abortion be legal for more than 30 years.
Today’s decision believes the move could be a turning point for Latin America, where the Catholic Church has long dominated.
– Our country is a country with many contradictions. He is the only one in the world who brought members of the dictatorship to justice, but did not allow abortion. Why? Because the church is with the state, Ester Albarello told AP.
Opponents of abortion have demonstrated outside the Senate.
Many were disappointed after self-determined abortion was adopted.
The Catholic Church has great influence in Argentina.
A group of abortion opponents who have met in front of the Senate call themselves “defenders of the two lives.”
Under a tent they have erected an altar with a crucifix. One teacher says that regardless of whether the law is passed, she will not teach children that abortion is okay, writes AP.
Long day trip
During the Senate meeting in Buenos Aires, 58 of the 72 senators made speeches, many of them very emotional, before the vote began.
The proposal to allow free abortion won a majority in Congress, Argentina’s lower house, earlier this month.
Two women in the Argentine Senate embrace after the legalization of self-determined abortion was approved.
Photo: MATIAS BAGLIETTO / ReutersPhoto: MATIAS BAGLIETTO / Reuters
A similar bill in 2018 also received support in Congress, but was rejected in the Senate by 38 to 31 votes.
The strictest abortion law in the world
Tonight’s decision in Argentina is a very important signal for the rest of the region and for the world.
Among Latin American women of childbearing age, only about 3 percent live in a country with free abortion. Shows numbers of Guttmacher Institute before the vote tonight in Argentina.
Therefore, the region has the strictest abortion laws in the world.
In six countries, abortion is prohibited in all circumstances. These countries are Nicaragua, Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras, Suriname, and the Dominican Republic.
The Catholic Church is strong in Argentina. This is one of the reasons why abortion has been difficult to legalize.
Photo: EMILIANO LASALVIA / AFPPhoto: EMILIANO LASALVIA / AFP
In the vast majority of countries in the region, abortion is prohibited, but exceptions are made in special cases.
In the following Latin American countries, abortion is free: Cuba, Uruguay, Puerto Rico and Guyana. Displays an overview of BBC.
In addition, there is French Guiana, which is not an independent state but a French county.
The Tar Rich Abortion. The poor die »
Argentina’s left-wing government has taken the initiative of the self-determined abortion bill.
One of the government’s main arguments is that thousands of women, especially the poor ones, have died after failed abortions.
– The criminalization of abortion unreasonably punishes vulnerable and poor women, said President Alberto Fernández, when the new law was introduced.
– The ban on self-determined abortion has not brought anything good, says Argentine President Alberto Fernández.
Photo: ESTEBAN COLLAZO / AFPPhoto: ESTEBAN COLLAZO / AFP
According to the authorities, in Argentina between 370,000 and 520,000 illegal abortions are performed each year.
The wealthy often travel to countries with free abortion, where the procedure is performed safely.
A well-known expression in the abortion debate in Latin America is this: “The rich abort. The poor die.”
Read also:
Bitter dispute over abortion in Argentina
The influence of the Catholic Church
– The influence of the Church is the main reason why the opposition to abortion is so strong, says the famous Argentine feminist Rita Segato:
More than 60 percent of Argentines are Catholic and the Catholic Church is a powerful opponent of abortion. But also the free evangelical churches have been active in the fight against the new abortion law.
Pope Francis comes from Argentina. He has been the head of the Catholic Church since March 13, 2013.
Before the new law was passed, he made a statement on Twitter:
– Abortion is about controlling women, not saving the unborn life, says Rita Segato.
– The right of women to decide about their own body threatens the strongest forces in Latin America: the macho culture and the Catholic Church, says the famous feminist.
