Religion plays a prominent role in the debate throughout Latin America, where, according to public polls, churches are among the most trusted institutions. The Catholic Church and the growing evangelical movement teach that life begins at conception and that abortion is a moral evil in any case. Religiously conservative politicians, including Colombian President Ivan Duque and former President Alvaro Uribe, protested the new verdict. These Latin American countries are following a global trend in which more than 30 countries have expanded access to abortion since 2000. Nicaragua and the United States are two of the three countries in the world that have taken it over. On December 30, 2020, a Senate vote of 38 to 29 legalized abortion up to the fourteenth week of pregnancy. In addition, following activists` argument that restrictions disproportionately harm poor women, the law ensures that abortions are available free of charge. The Supreme Court`s decision “could reduce the willingness of Latin American judges and lawmakers to take bold action against abortion in their respective countries, delaying or undermining broader decriminalization efforts,” she said. Abortion has been legal since 2012, with a limit of 12 weeks and only after a five-day “reflection period”. There is a law on parental notification for minors who wish to have an abortion. The Supreme Court`s decision to leave abortion rights to the states could also be “particularly compelling” in countries with federal systems similar to those in the United States, such as Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, Uribe said. Some countries whose leaders oppose abortion and anti-abortion activists around the world have already hailed the Roe decision as a victory. Oriana López Uribe, executive director of Balance/Fondo MARIA in Mexico, said there would likely be fuel for anti-abortion activists “to feel stronger, with a little more power, after overthrowing Roe v.
Wade. Much has changed since the Uruguayan government completely banned abortion in 1938. What was once a largely Catholic society is now semi-disconnected, atheistic or agnostic. “In Latin America, we are used to being hit by [US] politics whenever something changes in the dollar, it affects us, or if something changes with your rights, everything that happens there. So this is nothing new for us,” said Noelia Gomez, an activist with abortion rights group Socorristas en Red. The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development defined reproductive health as outlined above. It has also defined strategies and targets to promote reproductive health and rights in Latin America through the Cairo Programme of Action. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement has three quantitative objectives: (1) to reduce all-cause mortality, which implies an increase in life expectancy, to reduce specific mortality, (2) universal access to education, especially for girls; and (3) universal access to reproductive health services, including family planning. [2] Since the adoption of the PCA, some improvements were noted by the region at the conference.
Reproductive rights have been recognized in the constitutions of Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela. [3] In Latin America, social and feminist movements have really targeted access, not just legal demand, they have gradually moved towards a complete change in the legal framework. But they worked very long and very hard to reach out to health care providers to socially decriminalize abortion again, so it`s not such a stigmatized and private issue. It is a matter of social and reproductive justice, not just an individual issue. Abortion policies vary from state to state. In September 2021, Mexico`s Supreme Court issued a ruling invalidating the protection of life before conception in the Sinaloa State Constitution. Pro-choice observers have described the decision as an effective decriminalization of abortion in Mexico, as the decision is binding on other states. Most Mexican states do not currently allow abortion, except to preserve maternal health. READ MORE: Kansas to be first state to vote on abortion rights after Roe decision Here`s what it means Mexico`s Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down several articles that protected life before conception in the Coahuila state penal code, opening the door to legal abortion. There is also a number of data not collected by hospitals on abortions that are particularly “stealthy”/”backstreet”.
Studies have shown that in several Latin American countries, young single women are at high risk of abortion, which is not reflected in the number of married and elderly women hospitalized for abortion. [11] And now Colombia is the latest country to join the green wave, where the country`s highest court decriminalized abortion last week until week 24 in a landmark decision. That`s an extraordinary trio of victories, especially as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a case that could very well overturn Roe v. Wade. They represent the Green Wave, a mass movement to expand rights in the region that has already proven its worth. Over the past two years, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia have decriminalized or completely legalized abortion. Other neighboring countries like Chile could be next.
Maria Antonieta Alcalde is the director of APIs in Central America and Mexico, an organization that works to ensure safe and legal access to abortion worldwide. She joined All Things Considered to share perspectives from her own work and give insight into what the movement could do next in the United States. Latin America has had one of the most restrictive abortion policies in the world in the past, but the relaxation of rules in Colombia signals a growing wave of change.