The measure was passed with 38 votes in favor, 29 against and one abstention, after a session that began late on Tuesday.
Abortion-rights activists react after lawmakers approved a bill that legalizes abortion, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday. Pic/AP
Argentina's Senate passed a law legalising abortion in Pope Francis' homeland early Wednesday after a marathon 12-hour session, a victory for the women's movement that has been fighting for the right for decades.
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Legalised up to 14th week
The vote means that abortion will be legalised up to the 14th week of pregnancy, and also will be legal after that time in cases of rape or danger to the mother's life. It will have repercussions across a continent where the procedure is largely illegal.
The measure was passed with 38 votes in favor, 29 against and one abstention, after a session that began late on Tuesday.
It was already approved by Argentina's Chamber of Deputies and has the support of President Alberto Fernandez, meaning the Senate vote was its final hurdle. "Safe, legal and free abortion is now the law," Fernandez tweeted after the vote, noting that it had been an election pledge.
'We're a better society'
"Today, we are a better society that expands women's rights and guarantees public health," he added. Argentina is the largest Latin American nation to legalise abortion and the vote was being closely watched. With the exceptions of Uruguay, Cuba, Mexico City, Mexico's Oaxaca state, the Antilles and French Guiana, abortion remains largely illegal across the region.
Opponents of the bill, separated by a barrier from its backers, watched glumly as the vote unfolded. Supporters said the bill seeks to eradicate the clandestine abortions that have caused more than 3,000 deaths since 1983.
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