Former Argentinian President who legalised abortion alleged to have forced wife to abort their baby

Image credit: Volodymyr Hryshchenko via Unsplash / Angelica Reyes via Unsplash

The former President of Argentina, who led a campaign to have abortion legalised in the country, has been accused of forcing his wife into having an abortion.

According to Right to Life UK, former Argentina President, Alberto Fernández, has been under investigation since his wife, Fabiola Yáñez, accused him of domestic violence during their relationship between 2014 to 2024.

Amongst the accusations, which contained psychological threats and physical aggression, Yáñez also accused him of “reproductive violence” after he forced her to have an abortion in 2016.

Yáñez reportedly felt “joy” and “surprise” when she found out she was pregnant, however, upon hearing the news, Fernández told her “We have to sort it out, you have to have an abortion”. In her statement she said that he had “ignore[d]” her completely and said that “This time regarding our unborn child, he told me, ‘This can’t happen, I’m in shock'”.

She went on to have the abortion, a decision which she has described as “the worst decision”.

Fernández became president of Argentina in 2019 and abortion was then legalised in Argentina in 2020 after Fernandez led a campaign for its legalisation.

This is not the first time a woman has come forward to open up about the pressure she was put under to have an abortion. Italian actress Ornella Muti and late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor have both revealed in recent years that they were pressured into having an abortion.  

Sandra Parda of the Life Institute said “No woman should ever feel pressured into having an abortion. It is very sad to hear about Yáñez’s story, and she is very brave for coming forward and sharing this, as it sheds some light on the impact of abortion and abortion laws on women.”

“Too many women, like Yáñez, are put into a position where they feel like they must have an abortion they do not want. Instead of pushing for abortion, we should be offering love and support to women as they go through the process of bringing new life into the world.”