The passage of the bill is the culmination of a years-long grassroots fight for reproductive rights in Argentina.
Thousands of women gathered in Buenos Aires erupted with joy early Wednesday after Argentina’s Senate voted to approve legislation that would legalize abortion, the culmination of a years-long grassroots fight for reproductive rights in the Latin American nation. The bill permitting elective abortions up to the 14th week of a pregnancy passed by a vote of 38 to 29, and President Alberto Fernández has vowed to sign the measure into law — a move that would make Argentina the largest Latin American country to scrap its strict anti-choice laws. News of the vote was met with jubilant celebration among those who rallied in Argentina’s capital city in support of the legalization bill. As The Guardian reported, “Women screamed with delight, sweeping their friends into tight hugs and jumping in ecstasy. Many wept tears of joy. Victory music kicked in and green smoke filled the air. A triumphant message flashed up on a big screen above the joyful crowd: ‘We did it!’ it said. ‘ES LEY!’ (IT’S LAW!).” “I’m very emotional,” a 25-year-old demonstrator told The Guardian. “There are no words to describe what your body feels after fighting for something for so long. I cried a lot, which I wasn’t expecting.” Mariela Belski, executive director of Amnesty International Argentina, said in a statement that Wednesday’s vote is a landmark “victory for the women’s movement in Argentina, which has been fighting for its rights for decades.
