August 8, an Important Day for Feminist and Social Organizations in Argentina

On August 1, the plenary of Health, Justice and Constitutional Affairs Commissions was held, which concluded with an intense debate on the regulation for obtaining the majority for the judgment. Marcha Noticias interviewed Daniela Fagioli, the feminist lawyer to understand a little more of what awaits this 8A [August 8].

Abortion and confusion: What happened on August 1 and what’s coming on August 8.

Fagioli first explains what happened on August 1, consisted of a formality, “in particular, what it means is that, in the absence of a judgment, on August 8 there won’t be a voting directly”. This gives us the following panorama inside the Congress this August 8: those senators in favor of the right to decide will insist that the decision of legislators is not directly voted on.

The thing is, as Fagioli explains, the Senate panorama is much more resistant and the possibility of passing the IVE bill [voluntary termination of pregnancy bill], exactly as it comes from the House of Deputies, is very unlikely. Therefore, the best scenario for our right to decide to become law this 8A is first to obtain the majority (of 2 thirds) to open debate on the bill and then, during the course of the session, the modifications will be made.

We need to beware of the modifications because, as Daniela explained, some seek even to roll back on our acquired rights, from reducing the number of weeks in which termination would be allowed, to enabling institutional conscientious objections. Perhaps the most alarming of the modifications contemplated by some Senators is to reduce the possible circumstances of being framed today in the causal health for the termination of a pregnancy. Therefore, if the laws in force today allow a termination to a “risk to the health and life of the pregnant woman”, they will seek that it will only be possible if it represents a “danger that cannot be avoided by other means.”

This 8A “the surprise is what comes first” said Fagioli. Given this scenario, where it will not be possible to have so many incidences in the debate, the re-presentation of “a more dignified bill” becomes a favorable possibility. Whatever the result will be this 8A, Fagioli invites us to think that there are advances in the ways of carrying out the rights in force, taking, for example, clandestinely the right to terminate a pregnancy.

However, this social decriminalization of abortion is accompanied by a strong “offensive of the anti-rights at all levels”, anti-rights that come from the complicity of hegemonic media and the government. Fortunately, and thanks to the struggle to disarm the media monopolies, “the hegemonic media is becoming less credible” and this 8A they will not know how to hide the green tide outside the Congress demanding our right to decide.

The bill with modifications suggested by the Congressmen was signed by 26 senators. There was an intense debate on the interpretation of the law for this voting. Now everything will be defined this Wednesday, August 8.