Latin American feminists vow to protect abortion rights at home after shock US ruling

[Judi Lynn]

Women’s movements have fought hard to reverse anti-abortion laws in their countries and say it’s not the end for the US

Natalie Alcoba in Buenos Aires
Thu 5 May 2022 06.01 EDT

Reproductive rights activists across Latin America have vowed to protect hard-fought gains in their own territories as they brace for potential ripple effects if the US supreme court overturns Roe vs Wade – the 1973 ruling which guarantees the right to abortion.

Latin America has some of the most draconian anti-abortion laws in the world. But feminist movements have fought for decades to chip away at the prohibitions, and in recent years a younger, diverse generation of activists has mobilized in massive numbers to help clinch a string of victories in traditionally conservative countries.

Now, the possibility that the US could be moving in the opposite direction has prompted bewilderment, fear and indignation among campaigners from Mexico to Argentina.

“The segment of society that wants to return us to the dark ages is real,” said Ana Cristina González Vélez, a Colombian doctor and co-founder of Mesa por la Vida, an organization that was part of the successful campaign for decriminalization of abortion in Colombia. “This has to be a wake-up call, that a legal victory is not a cultural one.”

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/may/05/latin-america-abortion-rights-roe-v-wade