Honduras ratifies constitutional changes on abortion: 4 things to know

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Tuesday, February 02, 2021

Argentina connection

People demonstrate against abortion in Buenos Aires on December 28, 2020 as Argentina's Senate prepares to vote on a bill that would legalize the practice. - The bill, which aims to legalize voluntary abortions at up to 14 weeks, was passed by the Chamber of Deputies on December 11 and will be debated and voted on in the Senate on Tuesday. | AFP via Getty Images/Emiliano Lasalvia

The decision by Honduran lawmakers to bolster the nation’s ban on abortion followed legislators' actions in the South American country of Argentina, who passed a law expanding access to the abortion procedure last December.

According to the newly enacted legislation, elective abortions are allowed in Argentina for the first 14 weeks of pregnancy and in the event of rape or when a woman’s health is at risk.

The Catholic Church and conservative groups in Argentina have urged resistance to the new law, with government officials acknowledging that implementing the law will spark challenges.

The Consortium of Catholic Doctors, the Catholic Lawyers Corporation and other groups call on doctors to “resist with nobility, firmness and courage the norm that legalizes the abominable crime of abortion,” according to the Associated Press.

Argentina’s Minister of Women, Gender and Diversity Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta said that a phone line will be established “for those who cannot access abortion to communicate.”