Decriminalizing abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean

Argentina has taken an exemplary turn in our region, approving in the early hours of December 30, 2020 the Law of Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy (IVE) as a result of a long struggle by feminists and civil society in the South American country.

Abortion is no longer a crime. Abortion is a matter of state policy. Abortion is a public health priority. Abortion makes girls and women freer, more equal, and more protected; it returns to them the power over their bodies to which they are entitled. Abortion is the law.

Argentina thus joins Uruguay, Cuba, Guyana, Puerto Rico, and the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Mexico in legalizing abortion. Looking back at the path traveled compels us to consider what remains to be done. The feminist wave that turned Argentina green must now expand beyond its borders, becoming an incentive to strengthen movements and demands in every corner of Latin America and the Caribbean islands, taking up the slogan that resonated loud and clear throughout Argentina: “Sex education to decide, contraception to prevent abortion, legal abortion to prevent death.”

For greater equality. For greater justice. For an end to all violence against women. For respect for their decisions. For better education and healthcare policies. For more rights for everyone.

CLACSO Steering Committee
December 30th 2020

SEE: In Argentina, voluntary termination of pregnancy is the law