Team—A wave is sweeping over Latin America.
Le Marea Verde—The Green Wave—is a powerful movement fighting for expanded abortion access throughout Latin America. United by their iconic green bandanas, its diverse members stand as a beacon of hope in the global fight for bodily autonomy.
The Center for Reproductive Rights is proud to be part of the Green Wave movement and to fight for the rights of women around the world. On International Women's Day, we celebrate the Green Wave's hard-fought victories—and the work still ahead.
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🟢 The liberalization of abortion in Argentina was achieved with a law in 2020. It was a landmark victory for the Green Wave movement, which emerged to push for legal changes and what's been called the "social decriminalization" of abortion by changing hearts and minds.
🟢 In México in 2021 the highest court declared criminalization of abortion unconstitutional and in 2023 decriminalized abortion on a federal level—a groundbreaking legal victory led by our partners at GIRE.
🟢 In Colombia, the Causa Justa Movement, of which the Center is a member, won a case before the Constitutional Court that decriminalized abortion up to 24 weeks.
🟢 The UN Human Rights Committee held Nicaragua and Ecuador accountable for violating the human rights of three young survivors of sexual violence who were forced into motherhood because of severe abortion restrictions.
🟢 In 2021, the Constitutional Court of Ecuador expanded the exceptions for legal abortion, including access in case of rape. Previously, exceptions were only considered when the woman's health or life was at risk. In 2024, the Justa Libertad Movement requested that the crime of abortion be declared totally unconstitutional.
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The Green Wave has united and amplified the voices of millions and is a testament to the power of resilience, radical inclusivity, and collective action. These victories remind us that we can—and MUST—create a better, more equal world for women and girls everywhere.
Reproductive rights are human rights, no matter who you are or where you happen to be born. Until the rights of every person around the world are upheld and respected, our fight is not over!
Thank you for being on our team, on International Women's Day and every day. 💚
In solidarity,
Catalina Martínez Coral
Senior Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean
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