• Argentina.Miles of people claim that abortion is legal

Argentina is heading towards the legalization of abortion, an issue that deeply divides society, but has great support among young people and most women.

President Alberto Fernández inaugurated this legislative year before the plenary session of Congress on Sunday with an announcement that was expected, although it was no less shocking: "Abortion happens, it is a fact. A present State must protect citizens in general and women in particular. I will present in the next 10 days a project that legalizes abortion at the initial time of pregnancy. "

Fernandez's words were received with an ovation and gestures of emotion by the crowd gathered in front of the National Congress, in downtown Buenos Aires.

The Peronist Fernandez made the announcement flanked by Cristina Kirchner, his vice president, who in the eight years he was as head of state did not promote the issue. The previous government, of the social-liberal Mauricio Macri, enabled in 2018 for the first time in 36 years of democracy the debate on the abortion law in Parliament, but gave its legislators freedom of vote. Some time later, during the election campaign, Macri declared himself anti-abortionist.

"The current abortion legislation is not effective, since 1921 Argentina penalizes abortion in most cases," said Fernández, who chose to go further than some estimated: he left aside decriminalization and decided to bet on legalization

The project has a good chance of being approved in the Chamber of Deputies, as happened in 2018, but it will foreseeably have difficulties in the Senate, a much more conservative body.

"Simultaneously we will launch a strong program of comprehensive sexual education and prevention of unwanted pregnancy," said Fernandez.

The Argentine head of state spoke of "a law that legalizes abortion in the initial time of pregnancy and allows women to access the health system when they make the decision to abort."

"In the 21st century, every society needs to respect the individual decision of its members to freely dispose of their bodies," he added.

Thousand day plan

Fernandez also announced a "thousand-day plan," which provides assistance for two years to those low-income women who decide to give birth to their children. The opposition received with slight qualms the announcement: "For decriminalization there should be unanimous support. Legalization, on the other hand, would require popular majorities, a plebiscite," said Alfredo Cornejo, president of the Radical Civic Union (UCR), part of the opposition coalition Together for Change.

On other aspects, Fernández said he received "a deeply damaged country" by assuming power in substitution of Macri on December 10, 2019, with "record inflation" and "record public debt." The Argentine president stressed that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) understands its difficulties.

"The IMF itself has accepted that the debt is not sustainable, so it has proved us right."

After highlighting a "growing mutual understanding" with the IMF, he left a message to the creditors: "We prefer an orderly solution to the debt situation and we are walking in that direction."

Fernández also announced a "profound reform of federal justice" and intelligence services, as well as the declassification of secret testimonies and documentation reserved around the AMIA case, the blasting of the Israeli mutual in Buenos Aires that in 1994 left 85 dead, and for which the Argentine justice points to Iran as responsible.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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  • Argentina
  • Mauricio Macri
  • Abortion
  • Alberto Fernandez
  • Cristina Fernández de Kirchner

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