Will Argentina legalize abortion?

topic:	Abortion
located:	Argentina
editor:	Ellen Nemitz

Green and blue: Argentina is divided between the two colours representing 'in favour' and 'against' abortion, respectively. Alberto Fernandez, president of Argentina, can now be the support the Green Scarf movement needs. On March 1, during the official opening of legislative activities for 2020, Fernandez affirmed he would write and send himself, within 10 days, a bill to Congress to legalise – and not just decriminalise – pregnancy interruption in first steps.

Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, though, the legislative agenda is being rescheduled and the submission of the project was postponed, so details are still unknown. Nonetheless, this will certainly not be the end of the new attempt to legalise abortion in Argentina – the last one was in 2018, but, although Congress passed the bill, the Senate disapproved it under Mauricio Macri’s administration, who declared himself “in favour of life".

The pro-abortion movement’s goal is not to stimulate the interruption of pregnancy. Instead, the slogan of the National Campaign for Legal, Safe and Free Abortion Right is “Sexual education to decide, contraceptives not to abort, abortion not to die”. Despite this, there is a huge opposition, mainly led by Catholics and sustained by politicians. One argument against abortion is that life begins at the moment of conception. “I believe that we must encourage education and contraception. Once the pregnancy happens, though, it must be carried out, and then the adoption law has to be rediscussed” said the deputy Carolina Castets to local media Clarín.

Regardless, in December, the Health Ministry published an update of the protocole of health attention for legal abortion – in cases of rape or risks to the life or health of the mother – guaranteeing proper care, especially to teenagers, considering the broader concept of health, both mental and physical.

However, Mr. Fernandez promised to go beyond. In his recent speech, he said that “There are different challenges for women who decide to have the baby and for those who decide to interrupt the pregnancy. A careful State must provide health care to all these processes”. The president also affirmed that the actual law regarding abortion is not effective and that clandestine abortion is a reality putting at risk women’s lives, specially of the most economically vulnerable. “Abortion happens. It is a fact. And it is just that hypocrisy that sometimes catches us, that makes us fall into a debate like this”, he stated.

Mr. Fernandez’ speech gave new strength for national movements asking for abortion in Argentina and this was one of the main demands of thousands of women on International Women’s Day March, side by side with the fighting against femicide, believing that 2020 will be the year of abortion in Argentina.

His support may be indeed decisive for the bill to pass. CNN Spain has listed the Senator who voted "yes" and “no" in 2018 and showed that there are around seven Senators in doubt on whom efforts should be put if the president really wants to achieve a campaign promise.

Endorsing CNN’s question, we ask: will Alberto Fernandez be able to finally legalise abortion in Argentina?

Image: Global Fund Of Women

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