IN PHOTOS: Here’s how green became the colour of abortion rights

By Amanda Connolly, Global News
Posted July 6, 2022

From the streets of Poland to crowds in Argentina, Mexico and, most recently, the United States following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion rights protests have something in common: the colour green.

Green banners, snapping in the air. Green scarves, green bandanas, green shirts.

Continued: https://globalnews.ca/news/8970022/green-colour-of-abortion-rights/


How green became the international color of abortion rights

June 25, 2022
by Ella Ceron and Taylor Johnson

(Bloomberg) — As abortion-rights activists took to the streets to protest the Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade on Friday, some wore green scarves, shirts and other pieces of clothing. Others held up signs with green lettering or background.

The color became a symbol of resistance to anti-abortion laws during pro-abortion rights activist efforts in Argentina. Then it was taken up by organizers in other Latin American countries, and it has since spread around the world. The green bandanna first appeared in 2015, worn by activists in the “ni una menos” or “not one less” movement who were protesting violence against women in Argentina, according to Amnesty International. Argentina legalized abortion in December 2020, and the symbol became known as the “marea verde,” or the “green wave.”

Continued: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/how-green-became-the-international-color-of-abortion-rights/


Ireland and Latin America Can Inspire the US Abortion Fight

Analysis by Clara Ferreira Marques | Bloomberg
May 30, 2022

For decades, activists across the world have looked to Roe v. Wade, the landmark US ruling on abortion, as a model worthy of emulation. With the Supreme Court now set to overturn that decision, roles need to reverse: US rights groups must now turn to successful campaigns in Latin America and in Ireland for inspiration and advice on mobilizing voters, galvanizing legislators and widening support.

The impact of these popular movements is hard to overestimate. The Latin American marea verde, or green wave, emerged in Argentina in response to high rates of violence against women with the Ni Una Menos campaign, or Not One Less, and mass street protests. It expanded to include a demand for legal and safe abortions, and took its name from the green scarves women began to wear …

Continued: (unblocked) https://wapo.st/3wYPzTZ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ireland-and-latin-america-can-inspire-theusabortion-fight/2022/05/30/500ffa4c-dfef-11ec-ae64-6b23e5155b62_story.html


Colombia has approved more liberal abortion laws, sparking backlash

March 30, 2022
(4-minute podcast with transcript)
JOHN OTIS

Colombia approved some of the most liberal abortion laws in the Americas in February. The decision has provoked a backlash from anti-abortion groups.

AILSA CHANG, HOST:
As some states in the U.S. have restricted access to abortion, several Latin American countries have moved in the opposite direction. The latest was Colombia, where the Constitutional Court in February approved some of the most liberal abortion laws in the Americas. Reporter John Otis retraces the country's course on this issue. And just a note - this story begins with some disturbing imagery.

Continued: https://www.npr.org/2022/03/30/1089774564/colombia-has-approved-more-liberal-abortion-laws-sparking-backlash


Celebrations before new challenges after Colombia legalizes abortion

February 22, 2022
By Irene Escudero, La Prensa Latina

Bogotá, Feb 22 (EFE).- The emotion of the Colombian Constitutional Court’s historic decision to decriminalize abortion up to 24 weeks continued Tuesday with celebrations of those who pushed for the change, along with the realization of the challenges that lie ahead.

Again in front of the headquarters of the court in Bogotá, but this time without the nerves accumulated during the more than 500 days spent waiting for the decision, more than 100 young women, with their characteristic green scarves, chanted: “It’s legal, it’s legal, abortion in Colombia is legal.”

Continued: https://www.laprensalatina.com/celebrations-before-new-challenges-after-colombia-legalizes-abortion/


Abortion as a Human Right: The Fight for Reproductive Rights in Argentina and Poland

07.FEB.2022
Jaya Nayar

On September 22, 2021, a 30-year-old Polish woman named Izabela died of septic shock at the hospital after her unborn baby’s heart stopped beating. Her death initiated waves of protests across Poland and was seen as the direct consequence of a near total ban on abortion passed in 2020, which outlawed the termination of pregnancies even in the case of fetal defects. Under this new law, unlawful abortion could lead to up to eight years in prison. Terrified of the law and of its potential consequences, Izabela’s doctors waited too long to terminate the pregnancy despite knowing the potential risks for the mother—resulting in her death.

The case of Poland sheds light on a puzzling contemporary phenomenon. The right to abortion has recently been under attack in several countries where it was previously legalized in the late 20th century. In September 2021, the US Supreme Court refused to block legislation in Texas that would ban terminations of pregnancy after six weeks, which is after many women are even aware that they are pregnant. In Turkey, where abortion has been legal since 1983, President Erdogan’s conservative position on abortion is making it increasingly difficult for women to access abortions in public hospitals.

Continued: https://hir.harvard.edu/abortion-as-a-human-right-the-fight-for-reproductive-rights-in-argentina-and-poland/


Feminist ‘green tide’ delivers legal abortion in Argentina

Argentina’s “marea verde” has helped deliver sweeping abortion reform in one of Latin America’s most Catholic countries.

Jan 2, 2021

As the result of the Senate vote on the government’s abortion bill was announced, the huge crowd of campaigners gathered outside Congress erupted into joy.

Among the cheers and tears, almost all the demonstrators were clad in green clothing – most notably the now-famous headscarf that’s been worn permanently by thousands of people across the country, demanding legal, safe and free abortion in Argentina.

Continued: https://batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/feminist-green-tide-delivers-legal-abortion-in-argentina.phtml


Photos Capture Historic Celebrations in Argentina After Abortion Legalized

Amanda Cotrim’s photographs document the thousands of abortion rights advocates who erupted into festivities throughout Buenos Aires on the day of the vote.

by Valentina Di Liscia
December 31, 2020

Yesterday, December 30, Argentina became the largest country in Latin America to legalize abortion. After 12 hours of debate — and a grueling decades-long battle between the nation’s progressive and conservative factions — the bill was approved in the Senate by a vote of 38 to 29.

Abortion rights advocates gathered outside the National Congress in Buenos Aires. In anticipation of the momentous decision, they erupted into city-wide festivities, flaunting bright green scarves and face paint to show their support for reproductive rights. The emerald hue has become emblematic of the pro-choice movement in Argentina, where tens of thousands of women suffer adverse health effects from a lack of access to safe abortions, particularly those from low-income backgrounds and rural areas. In 2016, 39,025 women were admitted to public hospitals for complications arising from clandestine abortions, 6,400 of whom were girls and teenagers aged 10 to 19.

Continued: https://hyperallergic.com/611817/photos-capture-strength-and-tenderness-of-historic-celebrations-in-argentina-after-abortion-legalized/


Women perform in favor of abortion before Mexican cathedral


Women perform in favor of abortion before Mexican cathedral

Published January 6, 2020
By the Associated Press

MEXICO CITY — A dozen women wearing green scarves lined up in front the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City’s central square on Sunday to call for legal and safe abortions throughout Mexico.

Abortion is highly restricted in the country of 120 million inhabitants, with the exception of the capital Mexico City and the southern state of Oaxaca, where the procedure is allowed up to 12 weeks of gestation.

To the sound of a metal spoon clanking against an iron frying pan, the women performed a variation of “A Rapist in Your Path” — the viral dance sequence concocted by the Chilean feminist collective La Tesis to protest violence against women. The moves are the same, but the words have changed; in this version, an “objector” stands in their path.

Continued: https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/01/06/women-perform-in-favor-of-abortion-before-mexican-cathedral/


Argentina’s leftist president-elect reignites abortion debate

Argentina's leftist president-elect reignites abortion debate

Issued on: 23/11/2019
Buenos Aires (AFP)

The inauguration of Argentina's president-elect Alberto Fernandez next month has reignited a debate over the legalization of abortion, a year after conservatives narrowly blocked its decriminalization, leaving the country bitterly divided over the issue.

Fernandez, a leftist Peronist, pledged last week he would move to legalize abortion as soon as the new government takes over on December 10.

Continued: https://www.france24.com/en/20191123-argentina-s-leftist-president-elect-reignites-abortion-debate