Argentina: Senate must pass historical bill to legalise abortion

In the context of the imminent vote on a bill to legalise the voluntary termination of pregnancies in Argentina, Amnesty International in Northern Ireland and the Abortion Rights Campaign congratulates the lower house for passing the abortion bill. We now urge the Senate to secure the right to legal and safe abortion.

The current Argentinian legislation on abortion has led to more than 3,200 women losing their lives in the last 30 years and another 39,000 people putting their health and lives at risk every year. The state has a historic opportunity to adapt its legislation to comply with international human rights standards and to fully guarantee access to healthcare free from discrimination and criminalisation.

Over the last 25 years, more than 50 countries have changed their laws to allow for greater access to abortion, recognising the vital role that access to safe abortion plays in protecting lives and health. Argentina has an historic opportunity to say goodbye to unsafe abortion and comply with their international human rights obligations.

The world is watching. We urge senators to meet Argentina’s obligations under international human rights law to respect, protect, and fulfil the right to life, health, and autonomy, by introducing a bill that fully decriminalises and guarantees universal access to abortion in Argentina to Congress before the end of 2020.

Helen Stonehouse and JoAnne Neary, Co-Conveners on behalf of the Abortion Rights Campaign