Faith and Body: New Battle Over Abortion in Argentina

Reproductive rights in Argentina face increased obstacles as the administration of Javier Milei emboldens anti-rights groups and politicians.

Ella Fernández
March 10, 2026

On September 25, 2025, as Argentine actress Camila Plaate took the stage after receiving the award for Best Supporting Actress for Belén at the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival, she asked, “Who is Belén? I am Belén.”

Belén, the Argentine film directed by Dolores Fonzi, focuses on the true case of a young woman from Tucumán who was imprisoned in 2014 after suffering a miscarriage in a hospital bathroom. She spent 29 months in prison, accused of aggravated homicide.

Continued: https://nacla.org/faith-and-body-new-battle-over-abortion-in-argentina/

“We will continue to move forward. There is no turning back”

By Guillermina Edith Juárez Leyva, human rights defender from Oaxaca, Mexico
6 March 2026
(for Amnesty International)

My name is Guillermina Edith Juárez Leyva and I am a Zapotec woman from Oaxaca, Mexico. I am the founder and legal representative of Mano Vuelta AC, an organization of indigenous and Afro-Mexican women who work for human rights from an anti-racist and intercultural perspective.

The name of our organization, Mano Vuelta, is inspired by an ancestral form of community organization that promotes work and sharing for the common good. If I plant corn and need help, I can ask for it and then in return I help others with my work. These practices have sustained the lives of our communities since ancient times. This is also how we see the work of providing access to abortion.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2026/03/we-will-continue-to-move-forward-there-is-no-turning-back

Tunisia – “My message is: keep going, there’s no other way”

By Selma Hajri, doctor and human rights defender from Tunisia.
5 March 2026
Amnesty International

Ahead of International Women’s Day, we spoke with five courageous activists from Tunisia, Mexico, Burkina Faso, Poland and the United States who shared their strategies to protect access to abortion, their hopes for the future and the reasons why they believe that, despite the many increasing challenges, humanity must always win.

My name is Selma Hajri, I’m 71 and I am Tunisian. I am a doctor and a feminist. About fifteen years ago, I was the founder of an association dedicated to sexual and reproductive rights: the TAWHIDA Ben Cheikh Group. I am an endocrinologist specialising in reproductive health, and I am still the General Secretary of this association.

A few years ago, I created a regional network of activists and health professionals for abortion rights and access. This network focuses on the southern Mediterranean region, but with a view to exchange experiences with the northern mediterranean region more. I am very proud because it is the first and only network in this region that directly addresses abortion rights.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2026/03/my-message-is-keep-going-theres-no-other-way/

05.03.2026

Interviews/Podcasts

Amnesty International

Selma Hajri

TAWHIDA Ben Cheikh Group

South Korea: Conviction of woman seeking abortion exposes government failure to guarantee access to vital healthcare

4 March 2026
Amnesty International

Responding to today’s conviction of a woman who had an abortion later in pregnancy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said:

“Abortion is essential healthcare and a human right under international human rights law and standards – it is not a crime. Today’s ruling highlights the impossible position pregnant people and medical providers are placed in due to the ongoing legal vacuum surrounding abortion in South Korea.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/03/south-korea-conviction-of-woman-seeking-abortion-exposes-government-failure-to-guarantee-access-to-vital-healthcare/

04.03.2026

Commentary

Amnesty International

Mother and Child Health Act

USA: Expansion of Global Gag Rule will threaten lives and rights of millions worldwide

23 January 2026
Amnesty International

In response to the expected announcement by the Trump administration on Friday of an expansion of the Global Gag Rule blocking US international aid to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counselling or information, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy Policy & Campaigns, Erika Guevara-Rosas, said:

“The expansion of the Global Gag Rule is an assault on human rights. By targeting organizations that support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and recognize gender diversity, the Trump administration is deliberately deepening inequality and putting the lives of millions around the world at risk.

Continued; https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/01/usa-expansion-of-global-gag-rule-will-threaten-lives-and-rights-of-millions-worldwide/

23.01.2026

Commentary

Amnesty International

‘Trojan horse moment’: anti-rights groups seize chance to fill void left by US aid cuts

Ultra-conservative Christian organisations look to reshape global health landscape as new aid agreements open door to demands restricting family planning services

Isabel Choat
Wed 17 Dec 2025

The sudden stop work order on USAID in January 2025 sent shock waves around the world. Many health clinics were immediately shut down, leaving millions without access to vital medicines and facilities, with potentially deadly consequences, especially for HIV patients, children, and women and adolescent girls.

To many, the subsequent axing of 83% of USAID programmes seemed like pure nihilism, engineered by ideologues who wanted to kill off the agency. But there was a long-term vision behind the destruction. The gutting of USAID has cleared a path for the next phase of a plan to reshape the global health landscape, say reproductive justice campaigners.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/17/trojan-horse-moment-anti-rights-groups-fill-void-us-aid-cuts

Argentina – We Are All Belén

by Michelle Young
December 15, 2025

Belén (2025) is Argentina’s International Feature Film entry for the upcoming Oscars. The story is a true one, and it follows Belén, a pseudonym for a real woman who is falsely imprisoned for having an abortion, when she really had a miscarriage. Belén is held for over two years in Tucumán, Argentina, before being released in 2016. By telling her story, the film shows us a society that’s happy to predetermine a woman’s guilt when it comes to questions around abortion.

Unaware she’s pregnant, Belén goes to the hospital presenting with severe abdominal pain. The doctor determines she’s having a miscarriage at 22 weeks, which is considered the second trimester. It’s important to know that it’s entirely possible to be pregnant for this long and not know it – there’s even a term for it – a cryptic pregnancy.

Continued: https://latinamedia.co/belen/

Rollback and Resistance: The Erosion of Abortion Access in Argentina

Dec 10, 2025
Mercedes Sayagues

The movie “Belén”, Argentina’s submission for the 2026 Oscars, tells the story of a 26-year-old woman who suffered a miscarriage in a hospital in Tucuman province in 2014 and was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2016 after being convicted of procuring an illegal abortion.

Her case sparked a nationwide campaign to decriminalize abortion, known as the Green Tide after the green scarves protestors wore.

In December 2020, the Green Tide won: abortion was legalized on request up to 14 weeks, and later in cases of rape or risk to the woman’s physical or mental health.

Continued: https://healthpolicy-watch.news/rollback-and-resistance-the-erosion-of-abortion-access-in-argentina/

The crisis of unsafe abortion in Malawi: When human rights are denied, women and girls die

By Mandipa Machacha and Tsidi Leatswe
8 December 2025

When Tadala Zindawa**, (21) from Tata village in Lilongwe’s Chitukula area, fell pregnant while in secondary school, she was overcome by fear and panic. Scared of her parents’ disapproval and with abortion criminalized in Malawi, Tadala resorted to unsafe methods using Aloe Vera or Surf Soap to induce abortion. The procedure not only failed, but it led to severe pain and heavy bleeding. She survived after post-abortion care, but the psychological and physical scars are lifelong.

Nevertheless, Tadala is one of the lucky ones.

Every year, hundreds of women and girls in Malawi die or are injured from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications. According to the Malawi Ministry of Health and the Guttmacher Institute, about 141,000 abortions occur annually in Malawi, the vast majority unsafe and accounting for 6–18% of maternal deaths.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2025/12/the-crisis-of-unsafe-abortion-in-malawi-when-human-rights-are-denied-women-and-girls-die/

Faroe Islands scraps one of Europe’s strictest abortion laws

Dec 4, 2025
Adrienne Murray

The parliament of the Faroe Islands voted on Thursday to legalise abortion until the end of the 12th week of pregnancy, overturning a decades-old law that prohibited abortions in most cases.

Previous legislation allowed abortions only in certain circumstances - such as rape, incest or risk to the health of the pregnant woman - and meant the self-governing Danish territory had among the most restrictive abortion policies in Europe.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyd8j71m7mo

05.12.2025