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Geoff: As Americans contemplate
living in a country where roe
versus wade is overturned, a
very different story is playing
out in many parts of Latin
America.
In recent years, countries
throughout the region have
relaxed abortion restrictions.
Correspondent Ali rogin explores
what's changed and why.
Ali: In just the last three
years, abortion rights activists
in Latin America have celebrated
some major victories.
Their movement is called the
"Marea Verde," the green wave,
for the green scarves first worn
by activists in Argentina.
That country legalized abortion
until 14 weeks of pregnancy.
It was previously treated as a
crime, except in cases of rape
and to protect the life of the
mother.
In Mexico, some abortion rights
demonstrations grew violent.
Last year, the supreme court
ruled that state laws
criminalizing abortions were
unconstitutional.
Now, 7 of Mexico's 32 states
allow them.
In February of this year,
Colombia's constitutional court
legalized abortion up to 24
weeks.
There had been a total ban until
2006, when some exceptions were
added.
But other countries in Latin
America and the carribean still
have some of the most severe
abortion laws.
The procedure is still
completely illegal, with no
exceptions, in six countries.
For more, I'm joined by Alicia
Yamin, the senior fellow for
global health and rights at
Harvard law school.
Alicia, thank you so much for
joining me.
Of course, Latin America is not
a monolith, but what are some of
the broader trends that you've
identified that have popped out
to you in recent years?
Alicia: Well, first of all, Ali,
thank you very much for having
me.
As you rightly pointed out, the
region is not a monolith and
still has some of the most
restrictive abortion laws in the
world.
In El Salvador, in Nicaragua,
for example.
But the incredible progress that
has been made in the last few
years, which is really a product
of a very much longer struggle
by feminist movements in the in
the region, I think it is is for
not just legal entitlements, but
also has really emphasized
social decriminalization of
abortion and has centered
reproductive justice as a matter
of democratic governance.
Ali: And let's talk about those
feminist activists.
What are some of the defining
characteristics of the green
wave movement?
Alicia: The feminist movements
in Latin America have expanded
to include lgbtq plus movements,
to include labor movements, to
include a broader swath of
society.
Some of that has been in
response to very high levels of
violence against women,
including femicide in the
region.
But some of it has its roots in
deep struggles for a secular
state as part of democracy and
female representation and
politics and more grassroots
based struggle for abortion,
frankly, than we have had in
this country.
Ali: And do you think some of
those lessons of what worked in
some of these countries in Latin
America could be applied to the
debate that's taking place in
the United States right now and
that some of the messaging that
worked for abortion rights
activists in Latin America -- do
you think that could be applied
for abortion rights activists
here in the United States?
Alicia: I think it could be.
We have to be careful because
they were drawing on, they are
drawing on a different universe
of legal norms.
It's not been generally framed
as a right to privacy in Latin
America.
Of course, dignity and women's
and pregnancy capable people's
self-determination and dignity
is important, but it's also a
matter of equality, of gender
equality and democratic
inclusion and the right to
health, which, of course, we
don't have a right to health
care in the United States.
Politically, I would say that
although these are countries
with deep polarization and
exclusion in politics, abortion
has -- and there are differences
among them.
But abortion, for example, in
Argentina is something that is
not associated with one
political party so strongly.
It's a cleavage that cuts across
different major political
parties and coalitions.
Ali: And how would you contrast
the way the abortion debate is
framed in the United States with
that of Latin America?
Alicia: Here we've focused on
reproductive autonomy, and that,
of course, is absolutely
essential.
But abortion is never really a
private decision.
It's always a matter of many
factors that play into the web
of relationships in women's
lives.
And what the reproductive
justice movement coming out of
black women's feminism in this
country showed was that there
was a huge difference between
legal entitlements and actual
access.
In Latin America, the social
movements and feminists have
really targeted access, not just
legal entitlement.
They've progressively moved
toward a complete change in
legal frameworks, but they've
really worked long and hard to
reach out to health providers
to, again, socially
decriminalize abortion so that
it's not such a stigmatized and
private issue.
It's a social justice and a
reproductive justice issue, not
just an individual issue.
Ali: Alicia yamen of Harvard
university, thank you so much
for your time.
Alicia: Thank you.