Thousands rally against abortion in Argentina

Activists in Argentina's Buenos Aires took to the streets on Saturday to demand that abortion be made illegal in Argentina. The issue has sparked a nationwide debate.

Buenos Aires: Thousands of activists took to the streets of Buenos Aires on Saturday to demand that abortion be made illegal in Argentina.

The march was entitled "In Defence of the Two Lives", which activists say refers to the need to protect the life of both the fetus and the mother.

Carlos Lorenzo, member of the March for Life organisers' group, said: "We have to defend life and show the members of the parliament that Argentina is pro-life."

In 2018, the Argentine Senate rejected a bill to legalise abortion that had gone through the lower house of Congress.

The issue has sparked a nationwide debate.

Pro-choice activists held a huge protest in Buenos Aires last month, demanding the legalisation of elective abortion.

Currently abortion in Argentina is only allowed in cases of rape or if it poses a risk to a woman's health.

Thousands of women are hospitalised each year for complications linked to unsafe abortions, and it is the leading cause of maternal death.