Argentina passes the abortion bill

Argentina's Senate has passed a landmark abortion bill, becoming the fourth country in Latin America to legalize the practice.

The Senate voted 38 in favour of 29 with abortion to approve the process through the 14th week of pregnancy, increasing the traditionally strong influence of the Catholic Church in the region.

The controversial vote followed in the marathon debate starting at 4 pm (19:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

Tens of thousands of people packed the crossroads around the National Congress for a 12-hour debate, breaking into chants of "legal abortion in the hospital" as votes counted.

"I can't believe it," said 25-year-old Viviana Rios Alvarado, as she embraced her friend moments after the vote.

"A lot of the things through which we or the people we love suffer through. It's too long, but now it's for others, and also for us. And that's incredible," she said.

The vote is the result of a long campaign in a country divided over the issue.

Opponents also gathered outside the Congress, organized a mass sit-in and prayed for legislators to block the bill.

As a result, thousands of people thronged in cheers outside the Senate building in Buenos Aires, waving green flags that represented their campaign as green smoke rose above the crowd.

"We sisters did. We created history. We did it together. There are no words for the moment, it goes through body and soul, ”tweeted Monica Macha, a politician with President Alberto Fernandez's centre-ruling coalition who supported the law.

The ruling could set the tone for a sweeping shift in conservative Latin America where there are growing calls for more reproductive rights for women.

Across the region, abortions are only available on-demand in communist Cuba, relatively small Uruguay and parts of Mexico.

"While there will certainly be resistance, I think it is fair to predict that, as happened when Argentina legalized same-sex marriage in 2010, this new law could have an effective impact in the field is."

Until now, Argentine law has allowed abortion only when there is a serious threat to the mother's health or in rape cases.

Pro-choice groups argue that the criminalization of abortion disturbs the women of the most vulnerable groups, who they say are often forced to seek dangerous illegal abortions.

The powerful Catholic Church of Argentina argues that practice violates the right to life. Argentina is the birthplace of Pope Francis.

A change in the law was defeated in a Senate vote in 2018 after approval by the lower house, but the latest bill first had the support of the ruling government.