Argentina’s Senate has passed a landmark abortion bill, becoming the fourth country in Latin America to legalise abortion, a victory for the womens movement that has been fighting for the right for decades.

The Senate voted by 38 in favour to 29 against with one no vote to approve a bill allowing the procedure through the fourteenth week of pregnancy, bucking the traditionally strong influence of the Catholic Church in the region.

It was already approved by Argentinas Chamber of Deputies and has the support of President Alberto Fernández, meaning the Senate vote is its final hurdle. Argentine senators debated for hour after hour over legalising abortion, wrangling into the early hours of Wednesday before a vote that marked the culmination of a decades-long fight by women's groups in Pope Francis' homeland and have repercussions across a continent where the procedure is largely illegal.

The vote is the result of a long campaign in a country that remained divided on the issue. Rivals also gathered outside the Congress, holding a mass and praying for legislators to block the bill.

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