Opinion: A victory for Argentinian women

Argentina has passed a law that legalizes abortions. The Senate vote represents a landmark decision in the country's history, says Veronica Marchiaro.

As of today, Argentina is a changed country. Reason has triumphed over religion. Argentina's decision to make abortions legal is based on facts.

This issue, after all, is not about ideology but about public health. This vote was about giving women a legal, safe and free way to terminate pregnancies, if they so choose. This is what the country's feminist movement aimed for when it initiated an unprecedented debate on the matter in Argentinian society.

Its efforts have paid off. On Wednesday morning, the Argentinian Senate adopted a law that legalizes abortion up to 14 weeks after conception.

This day will go down in history. The secular Argentinian state has taken a stand for civil rights and a more just society.

The new law puts an end to the dangerous practice of illegal abortions. These are very

risky for young girls and women, especially those from poorer neighborhoods. According to Argentina's Health Ministry, between 350,000 and 500,000 unsafe abortions are carried out in the country each year. Over the past 40 years, more than 3,000 women have died after illegally terminating pregnancies.

The ban on and stigmatization of abortions did not lower the number of terminations in the country. And judging by the experience of western European countries like Belgium and the Netherlands, the number of abortions will rise only slightly now that the practice is legal.

A vibrant democracy

This legalization is a victory for Argentinian democracy that transcends political camps. Male and female senators from across the political spectrum voted according to their conscience, many of them ignoring the party line — a first in Argentinian history. This, too, is a victory for Argentinian women.

Politicians made a deliberate effort to support a demand expressed by Argentinian society. Doing so brought lawmakers

from opposing camps together. Hopefully, this move will lay the groundwork for further compromises in a country that has all too often found itself divided along firmly entrenched party lines.

Argentinian society has matured. Nevertheless, antidemocratic elements within the anti-abortion camp did become visible. Some Argentinian delegates received threats and suffered attempts to intimate them. Argentina's Catholic Church tried to influence the political decision

making process though clandestine negotiations and public sermons. And Argentinian-born Pope Francis even took to Twitter to criticize the proposed legalization.

Building a more just Argentina

The abortion law is also a victory for Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez, who had personally backed the bill. It comes as a relief to the government amid this crisis-ridden year of the pandemic.

The vote is a victory for Argentina, which today is a more just country. It is also a victory for democracy. Yet the biggest winners of all are Argentina's women, who took to the street to bring about this change. They have made history.

This article has been adapted from German

The sometimes colorful pro-abortion protests in Argentina have ended in success

DW's Veronica Marchiaro