Argentina legalizes abortion

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – In a sharp move away from its strong Catholic foundations, Argentina legalized abortion up to 14 weeks’ gestation on Wednesday. Up to now, abortion in Argentina was only permitted if the mother’s life is at risk or in cases of rape, NPR reports.

The Argentinian Senate passed the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Bill by 38-29 votes, NPR reports. It was left-wing Argentine President Alberto Fernández who, following his election in December 2019, first proposed the legislation in November and submitted the bill to congress. The lower house approved the bill by a narrow margin last month.

“Safe, legal, and free abortion is now law,” Fernández wrote on Twitter after the Senate vote.
Argentina has seen years of abortion-rights activism and the decision to legalize abortion is seen by many as a historic act, not least because the country is deeply Catholic and is the birthplace of the vocally anti-abortion Pope Francis.

The passing of the bill makes Argentina the third country in South America to legalize abortion; it follows Guyana, which legalized abortion in 1995, and Uruguay which decriminalized it in 2012. Most countries in South America still only allow abortion if the mother’s life is at risk, and some prohibit it altogether, NPR reports.

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