This is Buenos Aires. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets as the Senate prepared to vote on a proposed law to legalize abortion. Argentines are starkly divided. Supporters of the bill wear green scarves, the color of the feminist movement. Opponents wear blue, the color of the national flag. After 16 hours of deliberations in the Senate, the bill was narrowly rejected. Still, the fact that the discussion came this far signals a real shift in public opinion. Activists like Marta Dillon say it’s progress that cannot be undone. Marta is a leader of “Ni una menos,” a feminist campaign that started three years ago and has grown into a nationwide movement. Feminist organizations pushed to legalize abortion, and against all odds, nearly succeeded. But Argentina’s overwhelmingly Catholic and conservative. Even among people who are not religious, many reject abortion on moral grounds. The persistence of the abortion rights movement has forced its opponents, including church officials, to confront an uncomfortable reality: Criminalizing the issue does not make it disappear. In the slums of Buenos Aires, Hernan Martín is helping to start maternity houses for pregnant women to curb the number number of abortions in poor neighborhoods. Abortion is illegal here, except in cases of rape or when a pregnancy threatens a woman’s health. According to the government, there are nearly 350,000 clandestine abortions per year. And they are the principal cause of maternal death in Argentina. But many women still take the risk. We met this patient at a clinic in Buenos Aires. She was unemployed with two children when she got pregnant and started looking for a way to have an abortion. It took her 20 weeks. The go-to method for abortion in Argentina is misoprostol, a drug that was originally developed to treat stomach ulcers. Helping women access this drug are so-called socorristas, or first responders, like Diana. Diana is part of an expansive network of doctors, hospitals and activists — some working covertly — to help women get around legal obstacles. But outside of metropolitan areas, it becomes more difficult for women to access these groups. We went to Salta, a region in the northwestern corner of Argentina, where life is more traditional. Monica Gelsi worked for 30 years as a gynecologist here and never once considered performing an abortion. Abortion laws in Latin America remain some of the most restrictive in the world. But the drama of the vote here reveals a broader cultural struggle unfolding in Argentina and across the region.