The debate about the legalization of abortion in Argentina: the Catholic Church and its relationships with the presidential governments in democracy (1983-2018)

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the historical relationship between the Catholic Church and the different presidential governments in Argentina regarding the debates for the legalization / decriminalization of abortion (1983-2018). The essay tries to give an account of the ways in which the relationship between democratic governments and the ecclesiastical hierarchy was crossed by moments of contradictions and / or consensus that were decisive for the recognition or rejection of sexual and (non) reproductive rights. Until now, in Argentina, abortion is considered an illegal practice followed by a sanction, with the exception of the permits recognized in Article 86 of the National Criminal Code. In 2018, the proposed Law of Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy (IVE) was denied in the Senate of the Nation product of the conservatism of a majority sector of the Argentine political leadership and the constant pressure exerted by the ecclesiastical hierarchy.