Argentina Legalizes Abortion As The Third South American Country
A historic change.
Argentina is the largest Latin and the third South American country to legalize abortion, alongside Uruguay and Guayana. The senate’s historic law change has been announced at 4 am on Wednesday. It legalizes terminations in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy.
The country’s left-wing president, Alberto Fernández, celebrated the new bill on Twitter and he expressed hope for Argentina to become a better society.
"Safe, legal and free abortion has become law. I promised to do it during my presidential campaign. Today we're a better society which extends women's right and guarantee public health."
El aborto seguro, legal y gratuito es ley.
— Alberto Fernández (@alferdez) December 30, 2020
A ello me comprometí que fuera en los días de campaña electoral.
Hoy somos una sociedad mejor que amplía derechos a las mujeres y garantiza la salud pública.
Recuperar el valor de la palabra empeñada. Compromiso de la política. pic.twitter.com/cZRy179Zrj
Previously, he shared that since 1983 over 3,000 Argentinian women had died due to unsafe abortion practices.
The change is particularly outstanding because in Argentina a home country for Pope Francis. Catholic, evangelical, conservative and traditional values are still powerful across the whole region. In Latin America, abortion is usually permitted only in extreme cases such as rape or mother’s life in dangers, but some countries, like the Dominican Republic and El Salvador, ban it completely.
Pro-choice campaigners celebrated the new decision on the streets of Buenos Aires with music and green smoke. Since 2015, a green scarf has become a symbol of the #NiUnaMenos march for women’s rights and legal abortion. It alludes to the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo activists who fought against Argentina’s dictatorship in 1976-83, with white scarves on their heads.
Argentinian activists hope that the new bill will support the struggles of other South American countries, Colombia, Chile and Brazil.
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