Pregnancy, Femicide, and the Indispensability of Legalizing Abortion: A Comparison Between Argentina and Ireland

On August 9, 2018, after 16 hours of deliberation, Argentina’s senate narrowly rejected the “Interrupción Voluntaria del Embarazo” bill that would have allowed women the right to terminate their pregnancy during the first 14 weeks. Argentine law currently considers abortion a crime with the exception of two narrowly defined circumstances that are rarely applied. The legalization of abortion is vitally important to the women in Argentina who face an increased risk of femicide. Femicide rates in Latin America are among the highest in the world. Femicide can be linked specifically to pregnant women who could not get an abortion and continued facing violence from the man involved in the pregnancy, which ultimately then resulted in their death. This Comment proposes that the legalization of abortion could potentially reduce the rates of femicide of pregnant women and can definitely reduce the amount of violence against women