Buenos Aires – Argentine lawmakers on Friday took a major step towards legalizing abortion and fulfilling President Alberto Fernandes’ promise to make women’s rights the central policy of his government. The bill was approved by 131 to 117 votes in the House of Commons of Argentina, and after more than 20 hours of debate, Mr. It was a legislative victory for Fernandez, who devoted financial and political capital to improving conditions for women, gays and transgender people, even as Argentina wrestled with the biggest financial crisis of a generation. The bill is yet to be passed through the Senate to officially legalize abortion in the country. “It is a misnomer to say that this is one thing or another,” said Elizabeth Gomez Alcorda, Argentina’s Minister for Women, Gender and Diversity. “It’s not like you’re stopping debt review to follow these policies.” Argentina will become the fourth – and most populous – country to legalize abortion in Latin America, where strict abortion laws are the norm and Catholic teaching has long guided policy. Thousands of activists on both sides of the issue surrounded Congress from Thursday night to Friday morning following the debate over the giant screens. They were divided into clearly designated areas according to their positions. On the one hand, abortion rights activists turned their area into an open-air party and danced throughout most of the summer night. “I have duck bumps,” said Stefania Cross, a 22-year-old psychology student who stayed up all night after the vote. “I feel like we ‘re making history.” Another, especially small group opposed to the legalization, held open-air prayers throughout the night, although most bills were approved, as morning light penetrated across the sky. “I’m deeply saddened,” said Paloma Guevara, 24, who held a megaphone and rallied throughout the night with anti – abortion activists. Fernandez, a left-wing law school professor who campaigned as champion of marginalized communities, differs from his wealthy, center-right pioneer, Mauricio Macri, who kept gender and gender inequalities in line with social, economic and racial inequality, promising to tackle them during a deep recession a year ago. , And within three months of taking office Argentina was infected with the corona virus, which imposed one of the world’s longest and most severe locks, but the virus still spreads among countries with individual mortality rates. Andes had made gender and gender equality a priority in his government, and it was surprising that even some activists joined his initiatives. Earlier this year, the government introduced a quota system that would allow transgender Argentines to set aside at least one percent of federal public sector jobs. “This is something that really surprised all of us,” said Marianne Letteri, an English teacher who leads an organization that helps fellow transgender people find work. “I hope one day we don’t need allocations, but now we need them.” Mr. Fernandez’s 2021 budget identifies more than 15 percent of planned spending toward efforts to further promote gender equality, including funding for violence prevention programs, bringing women who are not part of the formal workforce into the pension system and fighting human trafficking. Fernandez asked his team to avoid planning meetings involving only straight men. From August, one-third of the participants in the audience of more than four with the president must be women or members of the LGBTQ community. Argentina was hit by inflation, rising poverty and crushing debt as a distraction or Mr. To some it may seem like a famous maneuver by Fernandez. Mr. Some critics, such as Patricia Fulrich, the former defense minister who led Macri’s Pro Party, have argued that at least “this is not the right time” to discuss divisive issues such as abortion. “I. He told CNN Radio Argentina that it would work more on the economy and the realities of the people. “I have other priorities.” But government officials say they are looking at investments to make Argentina a better country as part of a path to a more prosperous future. “Access to greater equality and opportunities is part of our vision of continuing this government,” said Martin Guzman, Minister of Economy. “Updated December 11, 2020 at 7:00 am. And abortion in the most divisive part of Argentina is now only allowed in cases of rape or if the pregnancy endangers the health of the mother. Despite the protests, Mr Macri, then president, said he was opposed to the move, but urged friendly legislators to follow their conscience. Asked to vote. His predecessor, Mr. Fernandez submitted the bill to Congress last month wearing a green tie, as if to represent an attempt to legalize abortion. “I believe it is the responsibility of the state to take care of the lives and health of those who decide to disrupt pregnancy,” he said. Fernandez said in a video posted on Twitter. In doing so, he fulfilled a campaign promise that he feared some reproductive rights activists would be lost amid the large numbers of corona viruses and the economic crisis in Argentina. Mr. The bill was released as Fernandez’s team struggled to re-negotiate the $ 44 billion debt it holds with the International Monetary Fund and to reopen the paralyzed economy. Political analysts approved the abortion bill in the lower house of Argentina’s Congress, where their position became clear even before a majority of legislators began debating it. The biggest hurdle for abortion-rights activists is coming to the Senate, where the measure failed miserably in 2018, and Roman Catholic and evangelical churches have gained more control after facing fierce opposition from senators in rural provinces. In addition to the loss, the massive mobilization ahead of the 2018 referendum, especially young women, has taken to the streets in large numbers to campaign for a new generation of feminists in Argentina for illegal abortion and broad representation. Legitimizing abortion would fulfill one of the movement’s key demands, Mr. Fernandez handed over his biggest legislative victory and gave further impetus to a national project that has already begun to restructure Argentina. As the epidemic has hit women particularly hard, Argentina has led the country into a majority of newly unemployed, according to the United Nations Development Database. Said. “Even with such an adverse environment, this agenda is moving forward.” Argentina’s greater focus on gender equality comes at a time when other countries in the region are making sure women have a voice in government decisions. In neighboring Chile, for example, in November the electorate approved a referendum on drafting a new constitution that would require gender equality among delegates to the Constituent Assembly. It is the first country in the world to have a charter written by the same number of men and women. If Argentina joins Cuba, Uruguay and Guyana in legalizing abortion, there may be some regional implications.
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