“Abortion is not a matter of faith but of public health”, head of the coalition Cambiemos
The bill has overcome the first obstacle in Argentina to be endorsed by the Lower Chamber of this country, but the decision of the Senate is still missing
The bill in Argentina that advocates the legalization of abortion has taken a giant step in the morning of June 14. After an exhaustive debate that lasted 22 hours, the Chamber of Deputies of that country approved the project that allows the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, according to BBC.
Leer en español: "El aborto no es cuestión de fe sino de salud pública", jefe de la coalición Cambiemos
Despite the internal division among the deputies, 129 of them decided to give the 'Yes' to the decriminalization of abortion, while 125 showed their disagreement towards this initiative, according to the newspaper El Nuevo Herald. Only one of the congressmen abstained to vote.
The first step
The idea has its origins among Argentine feminist groups, but it was only until March 2018 that the initiative took shape in Argentine politics, with the approval of President Mauricio Macri, according to El País of España.
"We are dealing with a public health issue that can not be addressed with blinders morals, ethics or ideological, and much less religious," said deputy Mayra Mendoza, who is part of the opposition group to the National Government.
The proposal aims to legalize abortion before the first 14 weeks of gestation. After this time, it will only be legal to resort to voluntary interruption if the pregnancy is the result of a violation or if it represents a danger to the life of the mother.
The turn of the Senate
There is still an important step for this project to be endorsed as a Law. This is because the initiative must go through the Senate of the Republic, which can represent a very difficult obstacle to overcome for several experts.
"The Senate has 72 members, of whom 26 have already spoken out against legalizing abortion and 17 have done so to endorse the project," the newspaper La Nación explained in one of its publications.
Now, the faith remains intact among the pro-legalization members of the Upper House. Among them, Miguel Ángel Pichetto and Luis Naidenoff, majority leaders in the Senate.
"The Senate has to take charge of the citizen demand and legislate realities (…) Abortion is not a matter of faith but of public health," said Naidenoff, head of the coalition Cambiemos, in an interview with El Clarín.
Jubilation or anguish?
However, the decision not only generated controversy within the Chamber of Deputies but also outside it.
On the outskirts of the public establishment, hundreds of people crowded the streets, many of them asking, even praying, for the project to be approved. So at the time of giving the 'Yes', the applause and shouts of joy did not wait; as well as the green scarves, a symbol with which pro-abortion groups have shown their support for the initiative.
These groups claim that the legalization of abortion is a woman's right, who should not be considered "No whore to fuck. No mother for duty. No prey for abortion. Or dead for trying," as some protesters pointed out in the posters they presented in front of the Lower House building.
After all, there are about 500,000 clandestine abortions that take place every year in Argentina, according to the newspaper La Vanguardia, which represents one of the main causes of the death of women in the country.
On the other hand, there were the pro-life, who waved Argentine flags in support of deputies. However, the decision did not go very well with these groups, who minutes after the end of the debate showed their dissatisfaction with the result and confirmed that their struggle still stands.
"We will fight with all our strength for the future of our country. We deeply regret that a circumstantial majority of the deputies elected by the popular vote have been inclined towards an unjust alternative and contrary to fundamental human rights, such as attacking the right to life, ignoring the majority of Argentines. This unfortunate result does not intimidate us," the organization Unidad Provida wrote in an official statement, according to El Clarín.
Latin American Post |
Translated from "El aborto no es una cuestión de fe sino de salud pública", jefe de la coalición Cambiemos
