translated from Spanish: Ibarra on the legalization of the IVE in the Senate: “We have expectations”

Vilma Ibarra, Secretary of Legal and Technical Presidency, gave an interview with Radio 10 this morning in which she claimed to be confident that the project of legalization of voluntary pregnancy interruption (IVE) could be approved in the house of senators on December 29. This week, the draft legalization of abortion, obtained half a sanction in the Chamber of Deputies. For its part, the Senate plans to treat it in committee from Monday the 14th, as part of a “respectful” debate, Ibarra said.” We expect the Senate to address the issue, with respect, and we look forward to further progress and exiting these issues, as they go out in democracy,” the Presidency secretary said in statements to Radio 10.” With the exception of isolated groups, in general, both citizens and representatives of the people have been able to give a respectful debate and we hope that this will continue because there is a very serious debate about public health,” he added.

Ibarra and Fernandez at a Senate session in 2004. Source: NA

Consulted by the position of the current vice president and holder of the Senate, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner noted that she “always spoken on the side of the extension of rights. I was one of the drivers of the law of equal marriage and we were able to sanction that law and regulate it under Cristina’s government,” she said. It is worth remembering that, according to estimates of the possible distribution of votes in the House of Senators, it could be Cristina Fernández who has to unpack in the vote in the upper house. Ibarra also recalled the passage of the Gender Equality Act, and that in 2018, the current vice president voted for the legalization of abortion in Argentina.

On the opposition sectors Ibarra emphasized that the state must deal with the business around clandestine abortions while asking that “religious convictions be legislate on the basis of public health and that religious beliefs should not be imposed.” Finally he felt that “I never heard anyone who was against abortion say it was the right time,” when he was consulted for the fluency of the debate on the subject and concluded, “the law, should sanctions, does not force anyone to do anything.”

Original source in Spanish