BUENOS AIRES — Argentina on Wednesday became the largest nation in Latin America to legalize abortion, a landmark vote in a conservative region and a victory for a grass-roots movement that turned years of rallies into political power.
The high-stakes vote in the Senate gripped the nation into the early morning, and the measure’s approval — by a wider-than-expected tally of 38 to 29, with one abstention — came after 12 hours of often dramatic debate, exposing the tensions between the long-dominant Roman Catholic Church, whose influence is waning, and a growing feminist movement.
“I didn’t change my way of thinking about abortion,” said Lucila Crexell, a senator from the southern Neuquén Province who had kept her vote under wraps and abstained from a vote on the matter in 2018. “I changed my focus on how I think the issue should be approached. It isn’t about feminism or religion. Clandestine abortion is a silent figure that kills, harms and writes very sad stories.”
As it unfolded, the Senate debate was closely followed by masses of both opponents and supporters of abortion rights, who camped out in the plaza around the neo-Classical Palace of Congress, chanting, cheering and praying as they tried to sway a handful of undecided senators to their respective camps.
m0r1arty on December 30th, 2020 at 12:20 UTC »
Argentina is Conservative?
Folks there have been able to legally change their gender just by going to a court house with some pocket change and a signature for the past eight years.
googlinia on December 30th, 2020 at 11:31 UTC »
Lol. It way less conservative than US in most aspects. Gay marriage was legalized way before too. It was just they abortion was a strange hill that couldn't be moved.
Discobiscotti on December 30th, 2020 at 08:29 UTC »
Good going Argentina!
This will go a long way to improving the health of not only the individual women but also society at large.
I'm not familiar with the internal mechanics of Argentinian society but I do hope that those availing of the service will be able to do so without the direct chastisement we see in other places from the religious/conservative right.
An enlightened society is one that creates life when it has the ability and capacity to nurture it.