Reported by Sarah Morland and Natalia Siniawski
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Activists advocating for rights in Latin America have issued a cautionary message regarding the escalating political challenges to reproductive rights in the region, in light of the United States’ recent restrictions on abortion access. Paula Avila-Guillen, the executive director of the Women’s Equality Center, highlighted the concerning trend during a conference, stating, “We are witnessing a significant pushback against the progress made through years of human rights advocacy. The impact of developments in one country can resonate across borders.”
The landscape of reproductive rights policies in Latin America is diverse. For instance, El Salvador enforces one of the world’s strictest abortion laws, imposing severe penalties for what activists argue are miscarriages deemed as homicides. Meanwhile, a prominent court in Colombia recently ruled that abortion is permissible up to 24 weeks after conception. Many countries in the region restrict access to abortion only in cases where the pregnancy poses life-threatening risks or is a result of rape, often resulting in prolonged delays that exceed gestational age limits.
In Argentina, where abortion is legalized, activists have raised concerns over budget cuts by the administration of libertarian President Javier Milei, a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, which have hindered access to abortion services and limited the availability of contraceptives. Mariela Belski, the executive director of Amnesty International Argentina, emphasized the significant setback caused by the lack of contraception, comparing it to regressing to the 1960s. Moreover, she highlighted that the funding cuts have severely impacted a national helpline for gender-based violence, with provinces reporting shortages of crucial medications for safe abortions, such as misoprostol and mifepristone, due to halted funding for procurement.
Milei has expressed his opposition to abortion and feminism, labeling them as aspects of a “nefarious ideology” and arguing against state expenditure on related services. Argentina is among the few countries in Latin America that permit abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy without requiring evidence of rape or serious medical conditions. Despite Milei’s party proposing a bill to criminalize abortion, the measure failed to gain adequate support, following the legalization of abortion by the previous government less than four years ago.
According to the World Health Organization, a significant percentage of maternal deaths globally are attributed to unsafe abortions, with the majority of abortions in Latin America categorized as unsafe. In the Dominican Republic, where abortion is entirely prohibited, Natalia Marmol, a program lead at the Women’s Equality Center, disclosed that grassroots movements are striving to mitigate the stringent criminal penalties in a nation plagued by high rates of maternal mortality and teenage pregnancies.
Marmol remarked, “We anticipate setbacks. It’s crucial to recognize that this is just a temporary setback and to persist in our efforts to prevent further regression.”
