Argentina’s Senate has moved to reject a bill which would have legalised abortion to the 14th week of pregnancy.
After a debate that spanned well into the early hours of Thursday, senators voted 38 to 31 against the proposed measure. The bill had narrowly passed in the country’s lower house in July.
The decision deals a blow to the surging abortion rights movement, who have argued that the bill would end unregulated abortions and stop putting women’s health at risk.
Members of the clergy gathered outside the congressional palace in support of the decision as the results came in at around 3am. Abortion rights supporters took to the streets, despite the late hour and the weather.
The current law allows abortions only in cases of rape, or if the mother’s health is at risk. The only Latin American countries to have broadly legalised abortion.
The Argentinian Ministry of Health estimates there are at least 350,000 illegal abortions every year, but international human rights groups say numbers can be higher.
> Borislava Todorova
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