On 12 June 2018, the bill to decriminalise abortion was adopted by MPs by 64 votes in favour and 57 against. After 15 presentation sessions, 738 speakers and three meetings in which consensus was formulated, the project was carried out, which for the first time in Argentine history will be admitted to the Chamber of Deputies. [13] [14] [15] The consensus opinion is as follows:[16] At the time of the closure of the blocs, MP Graciela Camaño, on behalf of the Frente Renovador, congratulated “the three left-wing legislators who honored their electoral program. From politics, if you want to thrive with the problems that challenge society, you just break them. And that`s not our mission. We must seek the common good of the people. For his part, Pablo Yedlin, a representative of the judicial bloc, said that “we must shine a light on abortion and bring it out of hiding.” “The state cannot criminalize or abandon women,” she argued in defense of the law. Of the Front for Victory-PJ, Agustín Rossi said that “the women`s collective marks a real struggle in Argentina that challenges us to do politics to get out of our comfort zone and bring about the changes that society demands”. The pro-government Interblock of Cambiemos split its closure between Silvia Lospennato in favor of the project and Marcela Campagnoli against. Lospennato said: “Whatever happens in the vote, society is no longer the same.” “We are proud to take this step. Thousands of women are following this debate across the country and challenging us to have a genuine interest in winning this right,” she added. [21] The majority of board members were in favor of legalizing abortion and respecting women`s autonomy. Health experts said in a statement: “Maternal mortality is an important health problem in Argentina.” [105] The organization Catholics for the Right to Decide, an association that brings together Catholic people but who do not agree with the official position of the Church,[63] although the ecclesiastical authorities have indicated that this association is not part of their creed.
[64] At abortion hearings in 2018, they advocated for legalization. “The debate does not say yes or no to abortion. Abortions take place secretly and endanger the health and lives of the women who undergo them. Therefore, the dilemma we have to overcome is whether abortions are performed secretly or in the Argentine health system,” he said. Artists, athletes and journalists have spoken out against the decriminalization of abortion: former Pumas players Manuel and Felipe Contepomi, actress Susana Romero, musicians César “Banana” Pueyrredón, Juan Carlos Saravia[188] and Juanse, Las Tripizas de Oro, host and cook Maru Botana, models Nicole Neumann,[189] Wanda Nara[190] and journalists Mariano Obarrio, Eduardo Feinmann, Gustavo Tubio, Carlos Monti, Toti Pasman, Amalia Granata, Viviana Canosa, Rolando Hanglin and Gastón Recondo. [191] [192] [193] [88] In a recorded message posted on official social media, President Alberto Fernández announced that he had sent Congress a bill on voluntary abortion, as well as the Mil Díaz program, which guarantees the holistic health of pregnant women and children in their first years of life. 23. March 2019, on the eve of the new presentation of the IVE law, the organization March for Life called for a mobilization in honor of the Day of the Unborn Child (March 25), but as a working day, they postponed it to the previous Saturday. All pro-life organizations joined them in organizing massive marches in more than 200 locations across the country, some, like the one held in the city of Cordoba, were postponed to March 25 for local reasons. [240] The practice is included in the ODB, which is the only guarantee of equal access and effective compliance, because if a practice is not included in the ODB, social or prepaid work may refuse coverage.
At this stage, the project presented by Alberto Fernández also coincides with that of the campaign. The president cited the cases of Mexico City and Uruguay, where the number of abortions and deaths caused by them has decreased since legalization. “Providing coverage in the health system also facilitates access to contraceptive methods to prevent unwanted pregnancies,” she said. On March 17, 2011, the town of Senillosa in Neuquén was declared “Pro Life” by its advisory board. Since then, following a campaign by faith-based organizations linked to the Catholic Church, there have been more than 40 “pro-life towns,” including three provinces (Corrientes, Salta, and Chaco),[168][169] cities and municipalities. [170] Among others the cities of San Luis,[171] Resistencia,[172] Ezeiza,[168] Rosario del Tala,[173] Herrera,[174] San Rafael,[175] Ledesma,[176] Jardín América,[177] Diamante[178], Concordia,[179] Alvear,[180] Barranqueras,[181] Gobernador Virasoro,[182] Pilar,[183] Monteros,[184] etc. 15. In March 2018, the Santa Rosa City Advisory Council declared Unborn Child, a project presented by Councilor Roberto Torres, who is also pastor of an evangelical church, of community interest.
[185] The garbage gang demonstrated in solidarity with the struggle for Argentine women`s right to abortion. [127] Singer-songwriter Ismael Serrano has advocated for the decriminalization of abortion. [128] The Uruguayan group La Vela Puerca has also expressed support. [129] Writer Margaret E. Atwood, author of The Handmaid`s Tale, also expressed support. [130] Actresses Susan Sarandon and Felicity Huffman also showed their support, asking senators to vote in favour of the bill on August 8, 2018. [131] [132] Protests against the legalization of abortion have taken place in different parts of the world. Some of them took place in Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Guatemala and El Salvador, where citizens and civil organizations held “handkerchiefs” in front of Argentine embassies in support of the fight “for two lives” between July 30, 2018 and August 8.
[236] [237] [238] [239] Article 10 provides for the situation of conscientious objection of health professionals, who must intervene directly so as not to hinder the abortion. It cannot be invoked if the life or health of the pregnant person is in danger or in the case of post-abortion health care. [23] All health facilities must be able to perform safe and effective abortions, with the possibility of conscientious objection. (Art. 11 and 12) The National Campaign for the Right to Legal, Safe and Free Abortion is a broad and diverse federal alliance that articulates and restores part of the history of struggles developed in Argentina for the right to legal, safe and free abortion. It has its origins in the XVIII National Meeting of Women held in Rosario in 2003 and in the XIX ENM, developed in Mendoza in 2004. Demonstrations for the legalization of abortion in Argentina have taken place in the country`s embassies and consulates in various countries around the world. These statements of support were made in San José de Costa Rica, Mexico City, Montevideo, Santiago de Chile, London, New York, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Sydney, Lima, Asunción, Bogotá, Vienna and Zaragoza, among others. [253] [254] [255] [256] [257] During the election campaign, Fernández reaffirmed his commitment to legalizing abortion and ensuring free care under the comprehensive sex education law. As voluntary abortion (IVE) is requested, the maximum guarantee period is “ten (10) consecutive days”. In this case, the draft campaign stipulates that this must be done within a maximum of 5 calendar days after the request.
Now, the bill will be sent to President Alberto Fernández for adoption. As it was originally introduced by the Fernández government and was one of its campaign promises, the president is expected to sign the bill. In addition to decriminalizing abortion, the bill allows conscientious objection for health professionals who refuse to perform it. On International Women`s Day 2018, when an international strike was called, a massive mobilization took place in the city of Buenos Aires (with record estimates ranging from 200,000 to 350,000 participants),[245] which placed the central axis in the slogan of legal, safe and free abortion.