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 Amid cheers from activists, around 70 members of the lower house of
Congress unveiled a bill that would allow women in Argentina to
interrupt pregnancy during the first 14 weeks, according to a copy
of the proposal seen by Reuters.
While Argentina's Congress has debated abortion before, the topic
has garnered more attention since center-right President Mauricio
Macri said he was in favor of debate and would encourage his allies
in Congress to vote as they saw fit even though he was personally
opposed.
Argentina, like most countries in Latin America, currently permits
abortion in specific cases, including rape and risk to the mother's
life. Rights groups have criticized a requirement for a judge's
permission, which often results in lengthy delays or denial of the
procedure.
An issue that has divided political parties, the abortion proposal
could pass the lower house but will likely face resistance in the
more conservative Senate.
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The bill emphasizes the danger Argentine women face in seeking
clandestine abortions, particularly poor women. About a third of
maternal deaths in the country are related to such procedures, the
bill says.
"This is a topic of equality and inequality, because those who do
not have money pay with their health or their bodies," said
opposition lawmaker Aracelia Ferreyra during the presentation of the
bill.
Argentina's neighbor Uruguay is an outlier in Latin America in
permitting abortions. A Chilean court last year upheld a law
legalizing abortion in certain cases. Chile had been one of only a
handful of countries worldwide where the procedure was banned
without exception.
(Writing by Caroline Stauffer; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
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