The lower house of the Argentine parliament has passed a bill to legalize abortion. Various women’s rights groups in the country have long called for the legalization of abortion. The BBC reports.
In a vote in parliament, 131 lawmakers voted in favor of the bill. 117 people voted against. To become law, the bill must be passed in the upper house of parliament, the Senate. The vote is expected to take place in the Senate later this year. Many women face lawsuits when they have an abortion in Argentina.
President Alberto Fernandez proposed the bill. If the bill becomes law, local women will have the right to have an abortion within 14 weeks of conception. Currently, abortions are allowed in the country only in cases of rape or maternal health risks.
The lawmakers took part in a 20-hour debate on the bill in the lower house of parliament from last Thursday to last Friday morning. The bill was later voted on. The Senate vote could be a tough fight for or against the bill.
Earlier in 2018, a similar bill was passed in the lower house to legalize abortion, but the Senate rejected it.
“I am a Catholic,” said President Fernandez. But I have to make laws for everyone. ”He added on Thursday that it was an important public health issue. On the same day, the Roman Catholic Church again opposed abortion. But Elizabeth Gomez Alcorta, the country’s Minister for Women and Gender, said: “We have written a new chapter in our history.”
Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.
According to official figures, about 38,000 women in Argentina seek hospitalization each year due to complications caused by secret abortions.
