Argentina on Wednesday voted to legalise elective abortion, becoming the largest Latin American country to do so.
In a historic political shift in a heavily catholic country, Argentina's Senate approved the historic law change by 38 votes in favour to 29 against with one abstention, NPR reported.
"The emotion invades us, the work was a lot and the road to get here was long, but we got there," Elizabeth Gomez Alcorta, minister of women, genders and diversity wrote Monday evening before the vote. "We have the opportunity to make history."
The Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Bill permits abortion to take place throughout the initial 14 weeks of pregnancy.
Presently, abortion is only legal in Argentina if the mother's life is jeopardised or if the pregnancy is a result of rape.
Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, who has been vocal about legalising abortion during his presidency, initially proposed the legislation in mid-November.
Argentina is the new name in the list of Latin American and Caribbean countries that have legalised elective abortion. The other countries are Uruguay, Cuba and Guyana.
While a significant majority of countries in the region restrict access unless the mother's life is threatened and some countries outlaw it altogether.
Pope Francis, who is from Argentina, has previously voiced his opposition to the legislation, equating abortion to hiring "a hitman."
Argentina's Ministry of Health has said that in 2018, 35 women died from medical issues arising from having an abortion.
Two years earlier, according to Human Rights Watch, the agency also reported that over 39,000 women and girls were hospitalised due to problems from abortions and miscarriages. Of that total, 5,816 were 15 to 19 years old and 348 were 10 to 14 years old.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU