Following the passing of the Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy Law, the Argentine Republic joins the group of 75 countries that protect the lives of women the most, positioning itself once more in the vanguard of Human Rights guarantees and protection. The enactment is the result of a long history of demands by human rights organizations and the feminist movement. It is also consistent with the principles and standards of international human rights law that afford protection to sexual and reproductive rights, to dignity, to life, to autonomy, to health, to education, to integrity, to body diversity, to gender identity, to ethnic-cultural diversity, to privacy, to freedom of faith and belief, to information, to enjoyment of the benefits of scientific developments, to real equality of opportunities, to non-discrimination, and to a violence-free life. The Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy Law decriminalizes and legalizes abortion, and it settles a historic debt owed by our country to the various women’s movements and to international standards that pursue gender equality and the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW), as it gives women the same right that men have to freely decide over their bodies without being exposed to situations that put their health and lives at risk.
