The President of Argentina has said he will send a bill to legalise abortion to Congress within the next week.
Alberto Fernandez, who was sworn in as the country’s president in December, has previously described abortion as “a matter of public health”.
At present, abortion in Argentina is only allowed in cases of rape or if the mother’s health is in danger.
If the bill is passed, Argentina would become the largest country in South America to legalise abortion.
“Abortion happens, it is a fact,” said President Fernandez.
“A state should protect its citizens in general and women in particular. And in the 21st Century, every society needs to respect the individual choice of its members to decide freely about their bodies.”
Mr Fernandez also vowed to introduce a new programme to improve sex education in the country.
A previous attempt in 2018 to legalise abortion in Argentina, where the population is overwhelmingly Catholic, failed.
The 2018 bill to allow for abortion within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy was narrowly approved by Congress, but later rejected by the country’s Senate.
One major difference this time is that the country’s president – Mr Fernandez – is in favour of the bill.
Cuba, Uruguay and Guyana are currently the only Latin American countries to permit abortion in the first weeks of pregnancy.
While some other countries allow abortion in the case of rape or risk to the mother’s life, it is completely banned in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Haiti.