The Argentine Congress will start a public hearing tomorrow on whether or not to legalize abortions inside the country.
The Argentine House of Representatives will start a public hearing tomorrow on whether or not to legalize abortions inside the country.
According to Pagina 12, the hearing will start at 9:30 am local time, giving each anti and pro-abortion advocates seven minutes to make a case for their side in front of the four assembly commissions - general legislation, penal legislation, social action and public health, and health and family.
Conservative Cambiemos party leader Daniel Lipovetsky, who is in the pro camp says, "each time there are more votes in favor of the law. … There’s 115 now," referring to the house members who support the legalization of abortion.
The hearing is being held after Argentina’s lawmakers began to debate the law several weeks ago that was presented to Congress by the National Campaign for the Right to Legal, Safe and Free Abortions for the seventh time since 2007. In total congress is expected to make a decision to pass any one of the nine bills circulating among legislators that either tries to penalize or decriminalize abortions.
Those who will speak in favor of the abortion law tomorrow is family and human rights lawyer, Nelly Minyersky, Organization of American States human rights advocate, Susana Chiarotti Boero, Dr. Conicet Mariana Romero, and Marta Alanis from the Catholics for the Right to Decide. Those who are arguing against abortion rights is a priest, a former minister of justice to ex-President Carlos Menem, among others.
The national campaign proposal is asking for women to be able to get a safe abortion up to 14 weeks of inception as well as when a woman’s life is at risk, or if her pregnancy was a result of sexual abuse or rape. The group is also demanding that if a medical institution denies a woman the right to an abortion that it find an equally qualified institution to perform the procedure.
Legislators are expecting to vote on a bill by June.
Between 370,000 and 520,000 abortions are carried out every year in secrecy in Argentina. About 49,000 women ending at the hospital because of complications related to unsafe surgeries.
"No one’s in favor having a sudden abortion. No woman facing this situation happily. But when a woman is facing an unwanted pregnancy she needs help from the state. We value life and we think that protection is incremental. That’s why we consider that abortion should be available up to 14 weeks and only when they are permitted," says Alanis.
A bill for the decriminalization of abortion was first introduced to Congress in 2007. Though it has gradually gathered support from legislators and over 350 social organizations, such a bill has never been approved in legislative commissions.