In 2003, a 19-year-old rape victim from Jujuy province, Romina Tejerina, secretly had a baby and killed him in a psychotic episode, according to tests. In 2005, she was sentenced to 14 years in prison. She had not charged the rapist and had managed to hide his condition. City dwellers, public figures and some politicians have expressed support for Tejerina as a victim, and many have stressed that she should have had the option of abortion. In particular, the decision prompted Health Minister Ginés González García to declare his support for legal abortion for rape victims. [69] [70] [71] And since you see the green headscarf, that`s what I have here, which is the symbol of abortion in our country. Carmen Argibay, the first woman ever appointed to Argentina`s Supreme Court by a democratic government, also sparked much controversy when she admitted her support for abortion rights. Anti-abortion organizations, led by the Catholic Church, opposed the nomination for this cause. [29] [30] Argentina joins a small group of Latin American and Caribbean countries that have legalized electoral abortion, including Uruguay, Cuba, and Guyana. A large majority of countries in the region restrict access unless the mother`s life is threatened, and some countries prohibit it altogether. Overnight, there was no social distancing, only jubilation. Members of Argentina`s Green Wave abortion rights movement celebrated in a sea of greenery, the color that symbolizes the pro-choice campaign and women`s rights throughout the region.
Prior to 2020, a 1921 law regulated access to abortion and penalties. [18] Any woman who intentionally induced her own abortion or consented to another person performing it could face one to four years in prison. In addition, each participant in the trial faces up to fifteen years in prison, depending on the woman`s consent, eventual death and the participant`s intention. The same penalty applies to doctors, surgeons, midwives and pharmacists who initiated or participated in the initiation of an abortion, with the addition of a withdrawal of a special license for twice the duration of their sentence. However, an abortion may be legally performed by a licensed doctor if: Until now, Argentine law has only allowed abortion in cases of serious danger to the health of the mother or rape. In early 2018, after years of lobbying by various groups, then-President Mauricio Macri began discussions on an abortion law at the opening of regular sessions of Argentina`s National Congress in 2018. [35] He said that while he identified himself as an anti-abortion activist on this issue, he would not prohibit a congressional decision on the issue. [36] [37] As a result, Congress began debating a National Campaign for Legal, Safe, and Free Abortion bill that would effectively legalize abortion on demand in Argentina and make it available in all hospitals and clinics.
The draft law was discussed with other measures to address gender inequality, such as extending parental leave. On 14 June 2018, the Chamber of Deputies adopted the bill by 129 votes in favour, 125 against and 1 abstention. [13] [14] [15] The proposal divided both Cambiemos legislators and the Justicialist Party. [38] However, on August 9, 2018, the bill was rejected by the Senate by 31 votes in favour, 38 against and 2 abstentions. [39] “We hope that the approval of safe and legal abortion in Argentina will boost Latin America and the Caribbean, which remains the strictest region in the world in terms of access to abortion,” said Catalina Martínez Coral, director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Center for Reproductive Rights. This morning, Argentina became the first major country in Latin America to legalize abortion. It was a spectacular victory for grassroots groups that have been organizing for years. Argentina`s health ministry said that in 2018, 35 women died from medical problems resulting from abortion. Two years earlier, the agency also reported that more than 39,000 women and girls had been hospitalized due to problems caused by abortions and miscarriages, according to Human Rights Watch. Of these, 5,816 were between the ages of 15 and 19 and 348 were between the ages of 10 and 14. Campaigners hope the law will have an impact on other Latin American countries. Currently, abortion is illegal in Nicaragua, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.
In Uruguay, Cuba, Guyana and parts of Mexico, women can request abortions, but only in certain cases, and each country has its own laws on the number of weeks of pregnancy during which abortion is legal. Countries also have different degrees of punishment and punishment for girls and women, including prison. For years, abortion was considered politically untouchable. But the 2018 legislative debate made it one of the most important issues of the 2019 presidential campaign. Each candidate was abolished, and when Fernández opened the new legislature in early 2020, he promised to introduce a bill to legalize abortion. Activists have been campaigning for years for a change in the law.