The bill had 16 votes in favor of senators of the ruling Frente Amplio party and lawmaker Jorge Saravia of the National Party, who recently left Frente Amplio. There were 14 votes against the bill of the two other major parties: the National Party and the Colorado Party.

A crowd of demonstrators witnessed the vote at the Senate, which lasted ten hours. This is the seventh time the subject is put to consideration of the Uruguayan Parliament since democracy was reinstated in 1985, after twelve years of State terrorism commanded by the military forces.

Even though the bill was passed by the Senate, an act that was welcomed by social organizations in the country, it is still unclear if the bill to legalize abortion will have the necessary votes to be passed in the House of Representatives after the summer break.

A similar bill was discussed in Parliament under Frente Amplio’s first administration in 2008, but then President Tabare Vazquez vetoed it arguing “ethic and scientific reasons”.

President Jose Mujica, who took office in 2010, committed to veto the bill once again, though that wouldn’t be the only thing getting in the way of the bill’s approval.

At least two ruling party representatives – who have a very tight majority in Parliament- have said publicly they would vote against the bill passed by the Senate.

Salto department deputy, Andres Lima – who was until recently a leader of the Christian Democratic Party- said he would vote against the bill because he “supports life and he is against any proposal that means legalizing abortion”; while Victor Semproni -a representative of the Espacio 609 sector- wants to introduce amendments to the bill to avoid “legalizing” abortion.

If they keep these position and the opposition parties vote against the bill, it would not go
through.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Public Health, Jorge Venegas, said the bill passed by the Senate “is a great step forward” and called against the criminalization of the issue. “Women have all the right to terminate their pregnancy at all times. We need to create the proper conditions in the public health system to make it possible”.

Photo:www.cotidianomujer.org (El Observador)