Indiana on Friday became the first of 50 U.S. states to pass a law restricting access to abortion. The decision about a woman`s body can only be made by herself. This is the main argument of those who defend the legalization of abortion. For the feminist movement, the fact that it is still illegal is proof that not only society is sexist, but also the laws. In Argentina, the text authorizing EVI up to the 14th week of pregnancy was approved last Wednesday. Until now, abortion in cases of rape or danger to the life of the mother was authorized by a 1921 law. An earlier legalization attempt was rejected by the Senate in 2018. Women can have an abortion up to the 14th week of pregnancy.

The decision will eliminate the legal hypocrisy that criminalizes widespread and socially accepted behavior. Abortion has been adopted by feminist movements fighting against the country`s millennial patriarchal framework. «There is a growing awareness of the harm and dangers to women`s lives and health caused by the abortion ban, and this shift reflects the growing acceptance of women`s rights in South Korea,» Hasunuma said. South Korea is no longer an exception among developed societies that still criminalize abortion and allow the country`s women to perform abortions in hospitals without the law requiring it. One of the great feminist criticisms of these «pro-life» groups is that, in their opinion, they do not care about women`s lives. However, many abortion opponents believe that legalizing abortion would increase the number of abortions, which they consider to be induced deaths of unborn children. On January 14, President Alberto Fernández signed the law, predicting «a fairer society.» Law 26.170 «responds to a very serious public health problem, clandestine abortion. More than 3,000 women have lost their lives since we regained democracy. Today we come to solve this problem,» said Vilma Ibarra, legal and technical secretary of the government.

The law, passed 66 years ago, allows abortion only in cases of rape, incest, serious danger to the mother`s health or serious malformations. It provides for up to one year in prison and fines of two million won (1,558 euros) for women and two years in prison for doctors. The court`s decision declaring the old rule in force since 1953 unconstitutional concluded that the abortion ban restricts women`s right to determine their own destiny while violating their right to health by restricting access to safe and expeditious procedures. Doctors who perform abortions can be sentenced to up to two years in prison. In Australia, the state of Queensland legalized abortion in October 2018 and only New South Wales, the country`s most populous state, continues to ban IVE. Much of the ensuing debate revolved over whether the government should take strong action to curb illegal abortions or whether the law should be changed. [7] [8] In September 2017, abortion activists filed a petition on South Korean President Moon Jae-in`s website calling on the government to change the law to allow the sale of mifepristone, an abortion pill. [9] In November of that year, the President`s office responded to the petition and announced that it would amend the law again. [10] In 2018, the Constitutional Court is scheduled to hear questions about the constitutionality of the abortion law.

But the law has perpetuated feelings of guilt and slowed medical development. Many doctors who perform illegal abortions are not properly trained and use outdated methods, experts say. It also allows spouses to threaten women with accusations or blackmail them after the relationship ends. South Korea is one of the last developed countries to ban abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or risk to the mother. «We call on the government to immediately reform the penal code and ensure access to safe and legal abortion services. Highly restrictive and punitive laws must be changed so that the health of women, girls and others at risk of becoming pregnant is no longer threatened for fear that they or the health professionals who help them will be punished. Amnesty International estimates that despite these killings, around 450,000 abortions are performed each year in Argentina. Its criminalization does not prevent thousands of women from resorting to abortion methods. Feminists only demand that anyone who wants to resort to this alternative can do so without risking their lives. The verdict announced today by the Constitutional Court follows the appeal of a doctor prosecuted for abortion.

The decision stipulates that the National Assembly must amend the law by December 31, 2020. On December 30, Argentina`s Senate approved the legalization of abortion, a fact that brought thousands of women to Congress. Thousands of people celebrated with badges such as «Abortion yes, abortion no, it`s up to me.» «Abortions are still performed, regardless of the law. This decision means that they must be practiced safely and legally, and that women and girls are treated with compassion and respect for their human rights and reproductive autonomy. Their dignity must take precedence in any new legal framework for abortion. » Abortion ban considered unconstitutional Sex-selective abortion, which is due to cultural preferences, has expanded considerably in the country. Despite a revision of the Medical Code in 1987, which prohibits doctors from revealing the sex of the child through prenatal diagnosis, the proportion at birth continued to increase in the nineties. This revision was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court in 2008. Using a 2005 survey of 25 hospitals and 176 private clinics, one study estimated that 342,433 abortions were performed that year, which would mean a rate of 29.8 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. The rate showed that this was done more by single women than by married women.

[11] The Ministry of Health and Welfare estimates that 169,000 abortions were performed in 2010. Other researchers, including Park Myung-bae of Pai Chai University, estimate that there can be as many as 500,000 to 1 million abortions per year. [12] [13] In recent years, calls for the legalization of abortion have multiplied, but the ban has many adherents in a society that is very conservative towards women, where evangelical churches have significant influence. As of January 1, 2021, abortion will be legal in South Korea after the Constitutional Court approves the reform of the law ending the abortion ban. The government`s position on the law varied according to the demographic emergency. The law was ignored in the 70s and 80s when the country went through baby booms and it was made clear from Seoul that «two children is too many». The preference for boys who immortalize the surname has led many couples into illegality. The advent of ultrasound technology has stimulated abortions of girls. The social stigma of single mothers has also increased the numbers. Until not so long ago, they were forced to drop out of school, rejected by their families and sent to distant institutions. In Ireland, abortion was legalized in September 2018 following a historic referendum that lifted the Catholic country`s constitutional ban.

Northern Ireland, the only region in the UK where abortion has been banned, also approved it in October 2019. «The abortion ban restricts women`s right to take charge of their own destiny and violates their right to health by restricting access to safe and timely procedures,» the Constitutional Court said in a statement. The Supreme Court ruled by seven votes to two that the abortion ban is unconstitutional. This law, the decision states, «restricts women`s right to pursue their fate and violates their health rights by restricting their access to safe and speedy trials.» The decision highlights the impact of the #Metoo movement on one of the world`s macho societies.