By: Agency Reporter 

Argentina’s senate has rejected a bill which would have legalised abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy.

After a marathon debate, 38 senators voted against it and 31 in favour, the BBC reports.

Its defeat means lawmakers must wait until next year to resubmit legislation.

Currently abortion is allowed in Argentina only in cases of rape, or if the mother’s health is in danger.

Demonstrators on both sides of the debate rallied outside parliament as voting took place.

Anti-abortion activists have been jubilant.

“What this vote showed is that Argentina is still a country that represents family values,” one told the Reuters news agency.

Pro-choice campaigners said they are not giving up. Some started fires and lobbed missiles at police after the vote.

Pro-choice campaigners have for years tried to get bills passed in Argentina, where the population is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic.

Their efforts gained new impetus when President Mauricio Macri – who opposes abortion – called on Congress to consider a vote on it, and it narrowly passed in the lower house.

For the bill’s advocates, legalising abortion is a matter of public health, with 43 women thought to have died last year after receiving abortions.