The 28th of September was the day of decriminalizing abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean. In many countries, activists and feminists once more remembered this day for women’s rights by posting on social media. The green handkerchief, a symbol of this fight, was present.
In countries such as Honduras, Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Suriname, and the Dominican Republic, abortion is illegal under any circumstances, according to the Map of Abortion Law from the Centre for Reproductive Rights.
The #rd3causalesvan campaign on the Caribbean Island demands that abortion be allowed when:
1-The life and health of women or girls are under threat.
2- Pregnancy is unfeasible.
3- The incident is a case of rape or incest.
While in the previous ones it is a crime, in others, abortion is permitted in cases where a pregnancy puts the woman’s life and health at risk; in cases of rape, incest and deformation or unviability of the fetus. The following are among the countries where abortion is allowed for one or more of these reasons: Belize, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, Panama, and Venezuela.
Mexico is a case of its own since it operates under a federal system where each state is independent and, therefore, exercises its restrictions according to the laws of the state. However, throughout the country, it is allowed in case of rape or endangerment to the life of the mother.
Last month, a week after the Texas Supreme Court banned abortion in this state, not far from its border, in the northern state of Mexico, abortion law was decriminalised. The 11 judges voted unanimously on it. This new law also prevents the persecution of women for getting an abortion.
This new decision can be very important to open the way for other states in Mexico, since it is a big country and has many states. So far, in Coahuila, Oaxaca, Hidalgo, Veracruz, and Mexico City, abortion is permitted up to the 12th week of gestation without any explanation.
Many women and organisations that campaign for abortion rights in Mexico consider this act as a “historical moment”.
In Cuba, Guyana, Argentina, French Guyana, Uruguay, and Puerto Rico, abortion is allowed in the first weeks of gestation and under the terms established by law.
Abortion is satanized by many individuals in society; however, my question is to what extent it is reliable to have such laws, while many women and girls die because of it?
One of the phrases that was commonly read on different platforms on the 28th of September was: We want legal, secure, and free abortion. It is a right.
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