Latin America’s history reveals how policies aimed at boosting births can backfire without safeguarding reproductive choice for families.
7/15/2025
by Jess Ogden
History rarely repeats itself, but it does often rhyme. We may feel like the expanding restrictions on reproductive freedom that is currently happening in the United States is unprecedented, but our Latin American neighbors have walked this path for decades. There are many lessons we can learn from their experience on the far-reaching impact of such restrictions on social justice, legal strategies and policymaking.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 18 aimed at expanding access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) by reducing costs and removing barriers to care. However, the current regulatory landscape, which is characterized by antiabortion language, poses significant threats to IVF access. Without safeguarding abortion rights, efforts to make fertility treatments more accessible may be undermined by legal precedents that restrict reproductive autonomy.