Six deputies from Milei’s La Libertad Avanza coalition have presented a bill that would criminalize elective abortion in Argentina, overturning the landmark 2020 Congress decision to legalize the procedure.

Critics have argued that the bill is a political diversion strategy to draw attention away from the failure of Milei’s omnibus bill project. The president’s flagship reform package suffered a shocking defeat on Tuesday, when deputies voted to send the legislation back to congressional commissions, wiping out weeks of fraught negotiations.

It also comes just days before Milei is due to meet with Pope Francis in the Vatican. The Catholic church has long been a powerful opponent to abortion.

Even within Milei’s bloc, support for the project remains unclear after deputy Lilia Lemoine publicly........

© Buenos Aires Herald