Woman dies from DIY abortion a week after Argentina's abortion vote
Less than a week after the Argentine Senate rejected a groundbreaking bill that would have legalized abortion up to 14 weeks, the country has its first report of a woman who died due to a botched at-home abortion.
The victim was a 24-year-old mother of two, who has been referred to only as Elizabeth. On Sunday, according to reports, she attempted to induce a miscarriage at-home using parsley, which caused septic shock and infection.
She was rushed to a hospital in the western Buenos Aires suburb of San Martín, where her uterus was removed; Elizabeth died on Tuesday.
According to Argentina’s National Ministry of Health, up to 450,000 illegal abortions are performed in the country each year - up to 50,000 of which result in dangerous complications, and in 43 deaths annually.
Just last week, the Senate had the opportunity to pass what would’ve been a historic bill to decriminalize abortion, which had already passed the lower house in June.
Instead, the upper house voted down the bill, 38 to 31, in a move that activists decried as a “huge step backwards.”
Following reports of Elizabeth’s failed abortion, many of the same activists again spoke out, blaming the victim’s death on the Senate’s disregard for women’s lives.
President Mauricio Macri had hinted he would have signed the legislation - though one of his top congressional allies, Elisa Carrió (a fierce opponent of choice), stated that Macri opposed legalization and never expected the bill to pass either house.
Macri's vice president, Gabriela Michetti, cheered the bill's August 8 rejection in the Senate.
At: https://www.thecut.com/2018/08/one-woman-has-died-since-argentina-rejected-abortion-bill.html
A special thank you to Judi Lynn for finding this story
Scenes from the August 8 vote in the Argentine Senate, where a bill decriminalizing abortion up to the 14th week failed narrowly, with most of Macri's right-wing caucus voting against.
Vice President Gabriela Michetti (right), called supporters "ball-busting idiots" and cheered its defeat.
