The Catholic Church in Argentina has called an anti-abortion rally to coincide with International Women's Day, after centre-left President Alberto Fernandez spoke in favour of decriminalisation of the issue.

While in Paris on Wednesday, Fernandez said he would propose a law to "end the penalization of abortion and allow any abortion to receive care in a public health centre."

"There are some who think legalizing abortion makes it obligatory. No, it's not obligatory for anyone," said Fernandez.

The anti-abortion rally, called "Yes to women, yes to life," is scheduled for March 8 and is meant to celebrate life "from conception until a natural death," the church said.

It will take place at the basilica in the city of Lujan, some 75 kilometres from Buenos Aires.

Even before Fernandez was elected, he spoke of trying to push through legalisation of abortion, and his health minister, Gines Gonzalez Garcia, is a supporter of such a law.

Abortion in Argentina is legal only in cases of rape or when the pregnancy puts the mother's life at risk.

In 2018, a bill that would have permitted legal abortion up to 14 weeks passed the country's lower house but was defeated in the Senate.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.