Argentina has become the largest Latin American country to legalise abortion, marking a big victory for the women's movement that has been fighting for the right for decades.
The Senate has passed a law legalising abortion up to the 14th week of pregnancy on Wednesday. The law legalises abortions after that time, in cases of rape or if the pregnancy poses a danger to the mother's life. The bill was already approved by Argentinas Chamber of Deputies and had the support of President Alberto Fernndez, meaning the Senate vote was its final hurdle.
Pro-choice campaigners awaiting the result, erupted in celebration in the early hours of Wednesday outside the Buenos Aires’s congressional palace, where they were keeping vigil.
This makes Argentina the third South American country to permit elective abortions. In Brazil, abortions are permitted only if it is a result of rape or if the mother's life is in danger. In countries like the Dominican Republic and El Salvador, abortion is completely banned. Uruguay decriminalised abortions in 2012, and Guyana, it has been legal since 1995.
