Last June, the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina approved a bill to decriminalize abortion until week 14, although the Senate vote to ratify this decision was missing.
Yesterday we learned that finally, with 38 votes against and 31 in favor, the Senate has said "no" to reform the abortion law in this country, continuing in this way the 1921 law by which abortion is only allowed in case of rape or life risk for the mother.
The termination of pregnancy will continue to be a crime punishable by imprisonment
With the bill approved by the Argentine Chamber of Deputies, it was intended to decriminalize abortion until week 14; that is, those women who wanted to end their pregnancy in the early stages of pregnancy could do so without facing jail time.
But the Senate, with a much more conservative character, has not ratified the bill, so the termination of pregnancy will continue to be typified as a crime punishable by up to four years in jail, according to the law of 1921 that will continue in force in the country.
The law of 1921, only allows abortion in case of rape or risk of life for the mother, two assumptions that according to many Argentine women does not respond to current social demands.This matter has generated a great debate in the country in recent months, and has divided public opinion into two opposing groups. On the one hand, those who opposed legalization and asked for more help and support for pregnant women. On the other hand, those who supported that abortion could be legal, free and free.
Abort in hiding
The fact that the bill has not finally come forward will not cause many Argentine women to continue to abort illegally and unsafely.
According to El País, unofficial estimates figure between 350,000 and 450,000 women who abort every year in hiding. They do so by taking serious risks to their lives, especially those that have less economic resources and end up undergoing dangerous practices carried out by non-professional people.
Very few countries in Latin America and the Caribbean in which abortion is a legal and free practice: Cuba, Mexico City, Guyana, French Guiana, Puerto Rico and Uruguay (legalized in 2012).
In six countries, abortion is not allowed under any circumstances: El Salvador, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Republic of Suriname, Honduras and Haiti. And in the rest of countries (as in the case of Argetina), it is allowed with some exceptions
The case of Ireland
The case of Argentina has reminded us of that of Ireland, one of the European countries with the greatest restrictions on abortion. But last May, a referendum was held in which the Irish voted "yes" to decriminalization, causing a historical change in the country.
The modification of Irish law now allows interrupt pregnancy in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and up to 24 weeks if the life or health of the mother were at risk, or if the fetus could not survive outside the mother's body.
But before this reform, the Irish could only abort if the mother's life was in danger, and abortion was not contemplated in cases of incest, rape or malformations of the fetus.
According to WHO estimates, Every year 22 million abortions are performed in an insecure way, which causes the death of 47,000 women, and disability to five million of them.
WHO emphasizes the importance of sex education, family planning and access to abortion legally and without risk, to avoid the alarming numbers of maternal deaths worldwide.In Magnet | This is how the yes to the decriminalization of abortion has been lived in Congress and on the streets of Argentina
