By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
 |
| PHOTO: Yahoo News |
Argentina on brink of Senate historic vote on Wednesday
legalizes elective abortion, marking a historic political shift in the heavily
Catholic country in Latin America and homeland of the head of the Catholic
Church, Pope Francis.
Following a debate that went well past midnight, the Senate
passed the bill 38-29 with one abstention just over two weeks after the Chamber
of Deputies, the lower house of Argentina's Congress, narrowly approved the
measure.
The proposed law will legalize abortion in all cases up to
14 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion in Argentina, South America's third-most
populous country, is currently only permitted when a pregnancy results from
rape or endangers the life or health of the woman. In all other circumstances,
abortion is illegal and punishable by up to 15 years in jail.
Abortion advocates hope Argentina's decision will spur
similar movements in Latin America's other Catholic-majority states.
"The emotion invades us, the work was a lot and the
road to get here was long, but we got there," Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta,
minister of women, genders and diversity wrote Monday evening before the vote.
"We have the opportunity to make history," she
added.
Argentine President Alberto Fernández initially proposed the
legislation in mid-November. Fernández, who was elected in late 2019, has been
vocal about legalizing abortion during his presidency and says he will sign the
measure.
Pope Francis, however, has previously voiced his opposition
to the legislation, saying it was always unacceptable, regardless of whether a
fetus is fatally ill or has pathological disorders.
Argentina joins a small group of Latin American and
Caribbean countries that have legalized elective abortion, including Uruguay,
Cuba and Guyana. A significant majority of countries in the region restrict
access unless the mother's life is threatened, and some countries outlaw it
altogether.
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