Cabinet Chief Marcos Peña

Argentina’s Center-Right Government has, for the first time, said it would consider holding a referendum on legalising abortion.

says it is “on the table”.

Meanwhile a bill put forward yesterday would allow women to terminate pregnancies during the first 14 weeks.

President Mauricio Macri said he is personally opposed to relaxing the country’s abortion laws, but he will give his congress allies a free vote.

Abortion is a controversial issue in the predominantly catholic nation.

It is only allowed in cases of rape, when the mother’s life is deemed to be at risk, or when there is a severe malformation of the fetus.

Women seeking abortions must apply to a judge for permission, which critics say can unnecessarily delay the procedure.