Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dec 19, 2007 / 14:53 pm
In a decision applauded by pro-life groups, the new governor of the Argentinean province of La Pampa, Mario Jorge, has vetoed a controversial law on non-punishable abortions that was passed by the provincial legislative body last month.
The controversial law approved by the legislature on November 29 was voted by Jorge, who called it “unconstitutional.”
Governor Jorge, who took office last week, signed the veto this past Monday, arguing that the law would allow “interpretations and applications that openly conflict with the restrictive spirit” of the country’s legislation. He said the actions by lawmakers took the law beyond what is contemplated in Argentinean law.
Jorge’s veto was in contrast to the support of the law by the former governor, Carlos Verna.
The law was sponsored by Socialist lawmaker Adrian Peppino and established a protocol for “regulating the procedures” that should be followed by doctors in public hospitals in cases of non-punishable abortions, which in practice would have opened the door to abortion on demand in the province.