Hundreds of women march in Latin American cities for the right to legal and safe abortion

Hundreds of women took to the streets and squares of different Latin American countries on Saturday to march for the Global Day of Action for Legal and Safe Abortion, multiplying the voices of thousands of women who ask for respect for their right to freely decide about their body.

“Having been an unwanted daughter is something very complex and taking care of childhood from the moment you have to be a desired child so that your life is as beautiful as possible, is something very important,” said Cecilia Ramos, a Mexican student. 26-year-old who marched through one of the main avenues of Mexico City.

“Mother by decision not by imposition,” read one of the signs at the march in the Mexican capital. A year ago, the Supreme Court of Justice of Mexico authorized abortion throughout the territory, although there are still states that have not adapted their legislation to that ruling.

The wave of green scarves with which feminist groups identify themselves also went out to march in the streets of downtown Lima, in Peru, and to the sound of drums they demanded that “a pregnant girl is a raped girl.”

María Paz Cruz, representative of Amnesty International in the Andean country, recalled that therapeutic abortion was legalized in the nation a century ago, but only in cases where there are risks to the mother’s health. However, just 10 years ago a protocol was approved that still has shortcomings for its application, such as unaddressed cases of child pregnancy, he noted.

In 2023, more than 1,350 Peruvian girls “were forced to become mothers,” said Cruz, which is why it is “fundamental to make the struggle visible.”

In Ecuador, termination of pregnancy is allowed up to the 12th week of gestation, but only in cases of rape. In July, feminist groups presented a lawsuit to the Constitutional Court to achieve the decriminalization of abortion.

For Ecuadorian activist Verónica Vera, it is urgent that the highest constitutional body “eliminate the crime of abortion” because “women are being criminalized, they are being denounced, they are becoming seriously ill due to unsafe abortions.”

According to official figures, 611 abortions have been registered in Ecuador since 2022 – when abortion was approved up to the 12th week of pregnancy – but non-governmental organizations pointed out that this figure is probably much lower than the real one because most of the procedures are carried out clandestinely.

In Brazil, Tatianny Araújo, a women’s rights activist, commented that “the choice has to be those who have the capacity to conceive and what we want from the State is reproductive justice.”

Some countries that allow abortion without conditions are Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba and Colombia, the latter until the 24th week of pregnancy. In other nations it is allowed when there are risks to the mother’s health, due to rape or the existence of malformations, prior to compliance with legal requirements — which feminist groups consider obstacles.

Abortion is prohibited without exceptions in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic.

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