Argentina legalizes abortion in a historic ruling for the Catholic nation

Argentina has legalized abortion after a historic senate vote that electrified the Catholic and conservative country which has now been swept by a growing secular women’s rights movement.

The country’s senate voted 38-29 after a marathon 12-hour session, sending pro-choice advocates holding vigil outside the country’s congressional palace in a fit of celebration.

The landmark piece of legislation allows abortion up to the 14th week of pregnancy, in cases of rape or when a woman’s health is at risk.

President Alberto Fernández has vowed to sign the law.

The passage of the law, which overcame a last-minute appeal from Pope Francis, is seen to catalyze similar efforts to legalize abortion across the largely Catholic Latin American region.

Argentina is now the largest country in the region to legalize abortion, but other countries have already done it before, namely Uruguay, Cuba, and Mexico City.

It is estimated that thousands of women have died after undergoing procedures at underground abortion clinics in Argentina.

(Thumbnail and banner photos from AP)