Argentina moves closer to historic abortion legalisation

[Judi Lynn]

A pro-abortion movement, symbolized by a green handkerchief, has swept through Latin America, where abortion is punishable by law

Uki Goñi
Wed 9 Dec 2020 05.00 EST

Belén ended up in jail after suffering a spontaneous miscarriage. Unaware that she was pregnant, the 25-year-old went to seek medical care at a hospital in Argentina’s northern province of Tucumán when she suffered abdominal pain.

In accordance with Argentina’s stringent anti-abortion legislation, Belén (not her real name) was reported by the hospital to the authorities and sentenced to eight years in prison for homicide. She did not regain her freedom until almost three years later, in 2017, after a feminist lawyer who took up her case convinced the Tucumán supreme court to overturn her conviction.

“There are many Beléns in Argentina and this madness will continue until abortion is legalized,” said Ana Correa, pro-abortion campaigner and author of the book Somos Belén (We Are Belén).

That long-awaited moment may be about to arrive.

Argentina is expected to move one step away from becoming the first major Latin American nation to legalize abortion on Thursday, when the lower house of congress votes on a legal abortion bill sponsored by president Alberto Fernández. The president holds a majority in the lower house, and a government source said the senate could vote the move into law as soon as next week.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/dec/09/argentina-legalize-abortion-bill-congress-vote

[Eugene]

1. Argentina abortion bill heads to Congress vote as protests build

Source: Reuters

AMERS
DECEMBER 10, 2020 5:10 AM UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

Argentina abortion bill heads to Congress vote as protests build

By Nicolás Misculin
3 MIN READ

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - A bill to legalize abortion in Argentina, which is being pushed by center-left President Alberto Fernandez, is set to be debated in the lower house of Congress on Thursday amid widespread protests for and against the law.

The legislation, which would provide for the legal termination of pregnancy up until the 14th week, could set the tone elsewhere in predominantly Roman Catholic Latin America, with a number of countries seeing drives to give women greater reproductive rights.

The draft law is expected to be narrowly approved by congressional deputies before moving up to the Senate, where an even tighter vote is anticipated. The South American country is the birthplace of Pope Francis, and most people are nominally Catholic.

A spokesman for the ruling party told Reuters a debate of almost 30 hours was expected in the lower house, meaning that the bill - which could undergo modifications to achieve broad consensus - would be likely to face a vote on Friday morning.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/argentina-abortion/argentina-abortion-bill-heads-to-congress-vote-as-protests-build-idUSKBN28K18S