Brazil/USA – Why We Must Keep Talking About Abortion Pills

As part of a delegation to Brazil, I saw how our countries’ respective struggles to maintain and expand reproductive justice are really part of the same fight.

Regina Mahone
June 16, 2025

Brasília, Brazil—We packed ourselves into a meeting room at the back of the Socialism and Freedom Party (known as PSOL) office in the National Congress building in Brasília on May 14. The bird-shaped capital of Brazil was developed in the 1950s as a modern, futuristic city, but inside the legislative building are standard government meeting spaces, with cubicle walls and drab, windowless halls.

We took our seats at the big conference table or on one of the folding chairs located along the sides. Lunch was served—an assortment of breads, including the staple pão de queijo; salads; fresh juice; and Brazilian carrot cake, which was fluffy (nothing like the traditional US version) and delicious.

Continued: https://www.thenation.com/article/world/medication-abortion-misoprostol-brazil/


USA – The reality of navigating immigration enforcement and abortion bans as a pregnant migrant

The 19th spoke with the head of the Women’s Equality Center about how inadequate medical care and the fear of deportation can lead to dangerous outcomes in the Trump administration.

Candice Norwood
March 7, 2025

President Donald Trump’s efforts to significantly restrict immigration have extended the presence of immigration enforcement officers to schools, churches and hospitals. The administration is also rolling back funding for organizations that provide services for immigrants, as well as states and cities with legal protections. These policies have raised the risks that immigration restrictions and limited abortion access present to the health and well-being of pregnant undocumented people.

Continued: https://19thnews.org/2025/03/navigating-immigration-enforcement-abortion-bans-pregnant/


Latin American activists warn of pushback on reproductive rights

By Sarah Morland and Natalia Siniawski
March 6, 2025

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Latin American rights activists on Thursday warned of growing political threats to reproductive rights across the region, as the United States rolls back access to abortion.

“What we are seeing is a lot of backlash of progress after many years of human rights struggles," Paula Avila-Guillen, executive director of the Women's Equality Center told a conference. "What happens in one country has repercussions."

Continued: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/latin-american-activists-warn-pushback-reproductive-rights-2025-03-06/


Latin America’s Progress on Abortion Rights Is Under Attack

Constance Malleret
Aug 14, 2024

In July, demonstrators sporting the green bandannas of Latin America’s pro-choice movement filled the streets of Santo Domingo, the Dominican capital, to protest against a new penal code under consideration by Congress. If passed, the code would keep in place the Dominican Republic’s total ban on abortion, despite decades of campaigning by women’s rights activists to include “las tres causales”—or three exceptions—to allow women to terminate their pregnancies in cases of rape or incest, if the mother’s life is at risk or if the pregnancy is nonviable.

They came close to succeeding in 2014, when then-President Danilo Medina approved a new penal code that would have decriminalized abortion in those three situations. But just before the changes came into force, they were blocked on constitutional grounds by the Supreme Court, leaving the current code, which dates from 1884, in place. The country’s incumbent president, Luis Abinader—who starts serving his second consecutive term this month—made the approval of “las tres causales” a pillar of his 2020 election campaign, only to disappoint the abortion rights movement by letting the issue fall by the wayside after taking office.

Continued: https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/latin-america-abortion-rights/


The UN Urged Peru To Relax Its Abortion Stance. Lawmakers Did the Opposite

Across Latin America, a backlash against women’s rights is underway and girls are criminalized for miscarrying

Harriet Barber
June 6, 2024

Camila’s body folds in on itself, eyes fixated on the cuffs of her sweater and thick black hair shielding her face. The 19-year-old, an Indigenous teenager from the Peruvian mountains, sits close to her lawyer, arms touching, in a small office overlooking Lima’s skyline. In clipped and hushed sentences, she begins her story.

At the age of 9, Camila was raped by her father. He ordered her not to tell anyone, threatening to kill her and her mother and brother if she did. For a while, his threats worked and she stayed silent. His vicious assault was the start of years of violence, abuse that would make Camila pregnant at the age of 13 and leave her ostracized from her community.

Continued: https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-un-urged-peru-to-relax-its-abortion-stance-lawmakers-did-the-opposite/


Guttmacher Joins US and Latin American Abortion Activists to Mobilize Against Reproductive Oppression

The 2nd Annual Green Wave Gathering brought together 150 activists from across the Americas to share strategies and solidarity in the face of rising far-right movements globally

May 20, 2024
Guttmacher Institute

Mexico City, MX – The Green Wave—the abortion rights movement originated in Latin America and led by activists who overturned extreme abortion bans across the region—continues spreading throughout the Americas, inspiring a new wave of activism and solidarity.

For the second year, US abortion activists met with Green Wave leaders from countries like Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Chile to share strategies and insights on advancing abortion reform. The gathering, which took place in Mexico City, aimed to strengthen the movement by learning from each other's successes and challenges in navigating complex environments where abortion access remains marginalized, criminalized and surveilled.

Continued: https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2024/guttmacher-joins-us-and-latin-american-abortion-activists-mobilize-against


‘The stigma has returned’: abortion access in turmoil in Javier Milei’s Argentina

Health workers fear the return of unsafe abortions as recent statements lead to a spike in doctors refusing to provide care

Harriet Barber in Buenos Aires, The Guardian
Mon 18 Mar 2024

Javier Milei’s anti-abortion rhetoric has prompted growing numbers of doctors in Argentina to refuse to carry out terminations, according to medical professionals across the country.

Since taking office in December, the self-described libertarian has used speeches to both global leaders and schoolchildren to condemn abortion as a “tragedy” and “aggravated murder”.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/mar/18/argentina-abortion-javier-milei


U.S. abortion rights setbacks spark fears in Latin America

Concerns in Latin America that abortion rights could face setbacks similar to those in the U.S. are adding urgency to the protests planned for International Women's Day this Friday, Marina writes.

March 5, 2024
Marina E. Franco

Why it matters: Regions of Latin America already are some of the most dangerous in the world for people who wish or need to terminate a pregnancy.

Threat level: Abortion bans can jeopardize the lives of women in trauma situations where continuing the pregnancy puts a woman's life at risk. Last month, Adilka Féliz, a senator's legal aide in the Dominican Republic — where there is a full ban on abortion— died from complications after an emergency premature birth procedure. She had an unviable pregnancy but was denied an abortion, her mother says.

Continued: https://www.axios.com/2024/03/05/international-womens-day-abortion-terminate-pregnancy


While abortion restrictions spread across the U.S., access expands in Latin America

Some abortion rights advocates in the U.S. are seeking inspiration from their counterparts in Latin American countries where abortion access has expanded in recent years.

March 2, 2023
Sarah McCammon
3-Minute Listen with Transcript

LEILA FADEL, HOST:
While abortion restrictions spread across the United States, abortion access has been expanding in Latin America. Some abortion rights advocates in the U.S. are now turning to the south for ideas and support. NPR's Sarah McCammon reports.

SARAH MCCAMMON, BYLINE: As an immigrant from Colombia to the United States, Paula Avila-Guillen has watched the two countries move further apart on abortion rights.

Continued: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/02/1160563759/while-abortion-restrictions-spread-across-the-u-s-access-expands-in-latin-americ


For abortion rights activists, Latin America provides a roadmap of ‘long fight’ ahead

It may take decades to constitutionally legalize abortion in the United States again, but advocates point to opportunities that could speed up such efforts.

June 24, 2022
By Nicole Acevedo

Human rights attorney Paula Avila-Guillen never thought she'd be fighting to decriminalize abortions in the U.S. until now, as nearly two dozen states move to ban the procedure following Roe v. Wade's official repeal Friday.

A leader of Latin America's "green wave" movement for reproductive rights, earlier this year Avila-Guillen helped legalize abortions for women up to 24 weeks-pregnant in her native Colombia, which now joins Argentina and parts of Mexico in the short list of places in Latin America where terminating a pregnancy is no longer a crime.

Continued: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/abortion-rights-activists-latin-america-provides-roadmap-long-fight-ah-rcna35197