{"id":4228,"date":"2020-12-30T11:05:57","date_gmt":"2020-12-30T11:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=144718"},"modified":"2020-12-30T11:05:57","modified_gmt":"2020-12-30T11:05:57","slug":"we-did-it-eruption-of-joy-as-argentine-senate-passes-bill-to-legalize-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2020\/12\/30\/we-did-it-eruption-of-joy-as-argentine-senate-passes-bill-to-legalize-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We Did It!’: Eruption of Joy as Argentine Senate Passes Bill to Legalize Abortion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Thousands of women gathered in Buenos Aires erupted with joy early Wednesday after Argentina’s Senate voted to approve legislation that would legalize abortion, the culmination of a years-long grassroots fight<\/a> for reproductive rights in the Latin American nation.<\/p>\n

The bill permitting elective abortions up to the 14th week of a pregnancy passed by a vote of 38 to 29, and President Alberto Fern\u00e1ndez has vowed to sign the measure into law\u2014a move that would make Argentina the largest Latin American country<\/a> to scrap its strict anti-choice laws.<\/p>\n

News of the vote was met with jubilant celebration among those who rallied in Argentina’s capital city in support of the legalization bill. As The Guardian<\/em> reported<\/a>, “Women screamed with delight, sweeping their friends into tight hugs and jumping in ecstasy. Many wept tears of joy. Victory music kicked in and green smoke filled the air. A triumphant message flashed up on a big screen above the joyful crowd: ‘We did it!’ it said. ‘ES LEY!’ (IT’S LAW!).”<\/p>\n

“I’m very emotional,” a 25-year-old demonstrator told The Guardian<\/em>. “There are no words to describe what your body feels after fighting for something for so long. I cried a lot, which I wasn’t expecting.”<\/p>\n

Mariela Belski, executive director of Amnesty International Argentina, said in a statement<\/a> that Wednesday’s vote is a landmark “victory for the women’s movement in Argentina, which has been fighting for its rights for decades.”<\/p>\n

“Now, people who decide to terminate their pregnancy will have a safe, high-quality service,” said Belski. “Today we have grown as a society. Amnesty International is going to work to ensure that the state guarantees compliance with legal abortion throughout the country.”<\/p>\n

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Amnesty summarized the key elements of the newly passed bill:<\/p>\n