Dear team,

Two years ago today, Colombia widely decriminalized abortion up to 24 weeks, making it the country with the broadest timeframe model in the entire continent. Since then, the Green Wave — the reproductive rights movement formed of advocates fighting for expanded abortion access throughout Latin America and named for the green bandanas worn — has continued to roll through Latin America.

© Victoria Holguin/Causa Justa

This decision in Colombia came after years of work by more than 200 organizations and hundreds of activists across the country who make up the Causa Justa Movement, of which the Center for Reproductive Rights is a part. The movement worked for years to establish strategies to decriminalize abortion, and through our collective work, we won our case before the Constitutional Court of Colombia with a decision that decriminalized abortion up to 24 weeks.

I want to take a moment to thank you for your continued support, because all of this would not have been possible without you. Muchas gracias por todo su apoyo.

As the Green Wave continues to grow and expand across Latin America, achieving greater protections for all women, transgender, and nonbinary individuals in the region, I encourage you to join this movement and follow our regional account on Instagram to see all the work we’re doing in Latin America and the Caribbean.

© Victoria Holguin/Causa Justa

Our work is far from over, and I believe that the Green Wave will inspire more change. The momentum that is spreading across Latin America can also reach other countries, including the United States, where abortion rights are under attack every day and rights are being taken away.

We are part of the same community, and we are fighting for the same values. It’s important to know what the needs of the movements in other parts of the world are, and to see how some of the strategies we are using in Latin America can be useful for others.

Follow @ReproRightsLAC on Instagram to get the most up-to-date news on our work as we continue the fight to expand abortion access and hold Colombia accountable to its ruling.

Gracias, por todo.

Catalina Martínez
Vice President, Latin America and the Caribbean