Young Voters Care About Abortion Policy. Argentine Politicians Are Ignoring Them.
The youth vote is becoming increasingly important in Argentina, but the leading presidential candidates are deliberately avoiding the issue that matters most to them.
By Ana Ionova
August 15, 2019
SALTA, Argentina —When Milagros Peñalba and Camila Monzón, both 17, consider supporting a political candidate in Argentina’s next presidential election, the key issue is not how to tackle Argentina’s massive debt burden or how to curb skyrocketing inflation. What they care about most is whether the candidates are in favor of legalizing abortion.
Since the nationwide debate on abortion rights last year culminated in disappointment for those in favor of legalization, the two youth activists have campaigned for reproductive rights, better sex education, and access to contraceptives in their hometown of Salta, in Argentina’s deeply conservative north. They also organize events encouraging their peers to get to know their political representatives.