On Dec 30, 2020, Argentina legalized free and safe abortion in a landmark win for reproductive justice activists including Channel grantee partners inroads, RESURJ and FRIDA. Former Channel grantee partner Ipas was also involved in the effort. This victory is the culmination of decades of feminist movement building.
Persistent and sustained efforts by reproductive justice advocates paid off when Argentina’s senate voted to legalize abortion—an historic shift after the senate rejected a similar bill just two years previously.
The bill makes abortion legal and free at public hospitals through 14 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions after that point for rape and a pregnant person’s health. Until the vote, abortion was only legal in Argentina in cases of rape and risk to a woman’s health or life.
Working strategically for many years, Argentinian activists had developed campaigns to build public support for reproductive rights. They organized street marches and engaged in a wide variety of advocacy activities. Argentinian and fellow reproductive rights activists in Latin America were recognizable by the green handkerchiefs they wore, becoming known as the “green wave” washing across the region. Many organizations, including Ipas, inroads, RESURJ, and Women’s Link Worldwide also worked behind the scenes to strengthen the case for legal change. These many partners working in concert demonstrate the power of collective action for social change.