Argentina’s historic decision to legalize abortion will help drive reforms in Latin America, the country’s gender minister told the Guardian, as a new law allowing the practice to take effect.
The bill passed by Congress on December 30 made Argentina the first major Latin American country to legalize abortion. The law will be enacted on Thursday night by the president, Alberto Fernández, marking a turning point for a region where the Catholic Church has been a major cultural and political influence for centuries.
“We know that there will be a lot of resistance in the rest of Latin America, especially from the Catholic Church and other churches,” said Gender Minister Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta in an interview with Zoom.
“The regional conquest will take time, but I have received calls from authorities in Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. Progressive governments are returning to power in some countries, I am very confident that there will be a change. “
Gómez Alcorta wore a green bracelet in reference to the green scarf adopted as a symbol of the women’s movement in Argentina. “The legalization of abortion in Argentina will take effect across the region,” said Gómez Alcorta. “We are going to paint Latin America green”.
Elective abortions are currently legal only in Uruguay, Guyana, Mexico City and the Mexican state of Oaxaca. But pro-choice activists are becoming more and more outspoken and there are signs that attitudes are starting to change.
Recent research in Mexico showed that support for access to abortion increased dramatically in 2020, from 29% in March to 48% in November.
The Argentine government has pledged to ensure that criminal charges are dropped and court sentences suspended for more than 1,500 women and doctors accused of violating the ban.
“We have reports of 1,530 people who have been convicted or charged and we will work to ensure that these sentences are commuted and the charges dropped,” said Gómez Alcorta. The actual number of women who have had to face the law on illegal abortion is likely to be much higher, she said, as the data was provided for only 15 of the country’s 24 provinces.
The new law is likely to face legal challenges, but the minister said she was confident that the country’s supreme court would uphold it.
Plans are also being put in place to overcome other types of resistance. “We know that there will be resistance in the most conservative provinces, where they can try to restrict access, so we will work to ensure that women are informed about where they can go to have an abortion.”
The ministry will also ensure that legal abortion is available free of charge at clinics across the country, as required by law. “It is certain that there will be resistance from private health plans to provide free interventions, therefore, we will also be keeping an eye on that”.