Uruguay

When I spent some time in Uruguay a few years ago, I was impressed by a lot. In addition to vehicles granting pedestrians the right of way more-often-than-not (in striking contrast to Buenos Aires where the cars speed up when they see you about to put a foot out onto the roadway...), Uruguay was the first (and only?) Latin American nation to have legalized same sex unions.

Today it was announced that Congress had passed a bill legalizing abortion during the first 12 weeks of gestation. Abortion is illegal in every Latin American nation with the exception of Cuba and in a few places if there are extreme circumstances. Although the President is expected to veto the bill, Congress has made a bold statement that will hopefully empower and inspire abortion rights activists throughout the region.

Here's the article.