Al Jazeera News :
Argentina’s lower house has approved a government-backed bill to legalise abortion, a big step forward for the legislation that could set the tone for a wider shift in conservative Latin America.
Backed by President Alberto Fernandez, the draft law, which would provide for the legal termination of pregnancy until the 14th week, was passed with 131 votes in favour, 117 against and six abstentions in the early hours of Friday morning.
It will now move up to the Senate, where an even tighter vote is anticipated.
A similar vote to legalise abortion was narrowly defeated in 2018.
The South American country is the birthplace of Pope Francis and the abortion bill comes as several countries in the predominantly Roman Catholic region are seeing drives to give women greater reproductive rights. A mammoth debate began on Thursday with protesters in favour and against the legislation massed in the streets outside Congress.
“We are convinced that this offers a concrete answer to an urgent and structural public health problem,” said Elizabeth Gomez Alcorta, the government’s women, genders and diversity minister, as she opened the session in the Chamber of Deputies.
“The time has come to stop looking the other way.” Protesters supporting the bill gathered wearing green scarves for an overnight vigil to await the news.
Opposition groups, wearing light blue scarves, also took to the streets to demonstrate against the bill.
The initiative includes a parallel bill which will face a separate vote to assist women who want to continue with their pregnancies and face severe economic or social difficulties.
Argentine law currently only allows the voluntary interruption of pregnancy when there is a serious risk to the mother or in the event of rape, although activists say many women often do not receive adequate care.
The country has seen a gradual rise in agnosticism in recent years.
While the current Peronist government is strongly behind the bill, that was not the case in 2018 during the conservative administration of Mauricio Macri.
Argentina’s lower house has approved a government-backed bill to legalise abortion, a big step forward for the legislation that could set the tone for a wider shift in conservative Latin America.
Backed by President Alberto Fernandez, the draft law, which would provide for the legal termination of pregnancy until the 14th week, was passed with 131 votes in favour, 117 against and six abstentions in the early hours of Friday morning.
It will now move up to the Senate, where an even tighter vote is anticipated.
A similar vote to legalise abortion was narrowly defeated in 2018.
The South American country is the birthplace of Pope Francis and the abortion bill comes as several countries in the predominantly Roman Catholic region are seeing drives to give women greater reproductive rights. A mammoth debate began on Thursday with protesters in favour and against the legislation massed in the streets outside Congress.
“We are convinced that this offers a concrete answer to an urgent and structural public health problem,” said Elizabeth Gomez Alcorta, the government’s women, genders and diversity minister, as she opened the session in the Chamber of Deputies.
“The time has come to stop looking the other way.” Protesters supporting the bill gathered wearing green scarves for an overnight vigil to await the news.
Opposition groups, wearing light blue scarves, also took to the streets to demonstrate against the bill.
The initiative includes a parallel bill which will face a separate vote to assist women who want to continue with their pregnancies and face severe economic or social difficulties.
Argentine law currently only allows the voluntary interruption of pregnancy when there is a serious risk to the mother or in the event of rape, although activists say many women often do not receive adequate care.
The country has seen a gradual rise in agnosticism in recent years.
While the current Peronist government is strongly behind the bill, that was not the case in 2018 during the conservative administration of Mauricio Macri.
