Despite the claim of the Church and other institutions, Rodríguez Larreta did not veto the protocol of non-punishable abortion

Sergio Rubin

08/03/2020 - 19:40

• Clarín.com
• Society

Finally, the head of the City Government, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, did not veto adherence to the national protocol of “Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy” (IVE) for cases of non-punishable abortions, as the term established by the local Constitution for eventually make use of that power. The guide - written by the Ministry of Health of the Nation - had been approved by a large majority two weeks ago by the Buenos Aires Legislature.

Although everything seemed to indicate that Rodríguez Larreta would not actually veto the protocol, after the accession, a strong demand came from the Church in Buenos Aires , institutions such as the National Academy of Medicine, and pro-life NGOs, particularly on some aspects such as the non-inclusion of the institutional conscientious objection (that the clinics refuse for reasons of principle) and that there was no time limit for the intervention.

When confirming the decision of the Buenos Aires government head, their spokesmen explained that Rodríguez Larreta concurrently resolved to promote "a series of measures to strengthen the prevention of unwanted pregnancy and provide information and accompaniment options that guarantee full discernment of the election facing a pregnant woman". In this regard, they added that the details of these measures will be known shortly.

As a result of the judicial conflicts and the delays to practice an abortion in the cases provided for in the Penal Code (rape, risk of life of the mother, unfeasibility of the fetus) the Supreme Court had ordered in 2012 the preparation of protocols in all the provinces . Although the City had one that facilitated numerous interventions, the Legislature decided to adhere to the protocol proposed by the Minister of Health, Ginés González García, as soon as it took office.

The Legislature approved the accession on July 16 by 49 votes in favor, seven against and three abstentions . The next day, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Mario Poli, and his auxiliary bishops said that "they pity and it hurts that, in the midst of a lethal contagion, where so many health agents and essential servants expose and risk their lives to save the Similarly, the legislators see it opportune to advance in a law, which is certainly not 'honoring life' ”.

The bishops said in their declaration that "this ILE protocol contradicts the constitutional guarantees in favor of the most unprotected life : that of an unborn human being" and affirmed: "We are not against the rights of women; Yes, in favor of life as it comes, in all circumstances, even in the midst of the pandemic, in the most humble neighborhoods, in the wealthiest sectors, in all parts of our beloved city, we must listen: Yes, to life; yes, two lives! "

They also noted that 8,388 legal "terminations" of pregnancy were carried out during 2019 and "most of them were at the first level of health centers." And that "any other issue does not have the same level of accessibility in those types of effectors."

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