Argentina a step closer to legalising abortion

Women celebrate with green scarves - the symbol of pro-abortion activists - outside the Argentine Congress on Friday. Pic/AFP

Lawmakers in Argentina's lower house on Friday passed a bill that would legalize elective abortions to the 14th week of pregnancy, a proposal from President Alberto Fernandez in response to long-sought demands from women's rights activists in the homeland of Pope Francis.

The bill still needs approval from the country's Senate in a debate expected before the end of the year. Demonstrators, who had spent the night outside the congress building in Buenos Aires, erupted with joy and embraced each other. Currently, women who have an abortion, as well as people who assist them with the procedure, can face prosecution. Exemptions are only considered in cases of rape or if pregnancy poses a risk to the mother's health.

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