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On December 30, 2020, the Argentine Senate approved legislation to legalize abortion, a historic landmark in the advancement of women’s rights in Latin America. The Senate vote was the culmination of a process that spanned 15 years and involved multiple actors, from government officials and parliamentarians to feminists, academics, and the National Campaign for the Right to Legal, Safe and Free Abortion.

The effort that drove the legalization of abortion in Argentina offers a useful example of a movement that evolved from mobilizing around a single issue – violence against women – to expanding its demands and ultimately building the political power and coalition necessary to transform the legal framework of abortion. In this sense, it provides valuable lessons for social movement building, political mobilization, and broadening women’s rights frameworks to encompass sexual and reproductive health and rights as key to women’s full inclusion and enjoyment of citizenship and the strengthening of democracy.

Many expect that the Argentine example could have repercussions elsewhere in Latin America, a region that has long had one of the most restrictive legal frameworks regarding abortion and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Against this backdrop, the Inter-American Dialogue, the Embassy of Argentina in Washington, DC, and International Planned Parenthood Federation Western Hemisphere Region (IPPFWHR) have organized a discussion featuring experts from the region to offer insights on this remarkable story.

Follow the event at #LegalAbortionArgentina or at @The_Dialogue, @IPPF_WHR, and @ARGinUSA.

Please RSVP to receive information on how to join the webinar. We invite participants to send questions through the Q&A function on Zoom or email questions to meetings@thedialogue.org.  

This event will be held in both English and Spanish. Simultaneous interpretation will be available for those who join the event online through the RSVP. 

Watch the event here (original audio): 

Watch the event here (English audio): 

Introductory Remarks:

Michael Shifter

President, Inter-American Dialogue (@MichaelShifter)

Speakers:

Vilma Ibarra

Legal and Technical Secretary of the Presidency, Government of Argentina (@VilmaIbarraL)

Marta Alanis

Founder, Catholics for the Right to Decide, National Campaign on Legal, Safe and Free Abortion, Argentina (@martaaalanis)

Monica de Bolle

Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), and Dialogue Member, Brazil (@bollemdb)

Ana Cristina González Vélez

Co-Founder, La Mesa por la Vida y la Salud de las Mujeres, Colombia; Professor of Health Law, Universidad de los Andes

Moderator:

Giselle Carino

CEO, IPPFWHR (@Giselle_Carino)

Closing Remarks:

Jorge Argüello

Ambassador of Argentina to the United States (@JorArguello)

EVENT PARTNERS

This event is hosted in partnership with IPPFWHR and the Embassy of Argentina in the United States.