Thousands of people erupted in cheers outside the Senate building in Buenos Aires on Wednesday as Argentina’s Senate voted to legalize abortion, a first for a big country in Latin America and a triumph for women’s rights campaigners achieved over the visceral objection of the Catholic Church. The fiercely contentious vote was held at 4:00 a.m. after a marathon debate that lasted through the night. In a vote of 38-29 with one abstention, the Senate backed the government proposal to allow terminations through the 14th week of pregnancy. The lower house had already approved it this month. Until now, Argentine law has only allowed abortion when there is a serious risk to the health of the mother or in cases of rape. “It changes everything for millions of women, this is health, this is public health, this is not a question of morals, it is not a question of ethics, it is a question of health and therefore thousands of lives will be saved,” one woman in attendance, Lola, said. The ruling could set the tone for a wider shift in conservative Latin America, where there are growing calls for greater reproductive rights for women. For more info, please go to http://www.globalnews.ca Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ Follow Global News on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB #GlobalNews