ABSTRACT
PIP: This article discusses the effects of the alliance between the Church and the Argentine state on women's reproductive rights. Several commentators have criticized how President Carlos Menem used the campaign against abortion for his own political interest. He issued a presidential decree on antiabortion campaign--the Day of the Unborn Child. This decree was announced on December 8, 1998, and the day of observance is March 25 of every coming year. Although the Argentine government does not have a law that explicitly regulates family planning method for the last two decades, many Argentines find the action of the president selfish. The initiation of this presidential decree was the culmination of Menem's manipulation of church and state to secure clerical support for his political regime. Even if statistics is providing him with data concerning the effects of unclear reproductive health laws, he and the church still has chosen not to focus on reproductive rights exclusively, but have concerned themselves primarily with other social and economic issues. While Menem uses the Vatican's pro-life rhetoric and his presidential power to protect fetal life, Argentines will have to contend with the existing Menem policies, which compromise the health of women and children.^ieng