MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥 The streets of cities across Latin America were bathed in green Thursday as tens of thousands of women marched to commemorate International Safe Abortion Day.
Latin American feminists have spent decades fighting to roll back strict prohibitions, although there are still few countries with a total ban, like El Salvador and Dominican Republic.
In Mexico, marchers celebrated the recent decision by Mexico鈥檚 Supreme Court to decriminalize abortions at the federal level. In Argentina, marchers had a more somber tone, worrying that the strength of a populist far-right presidential candidate going into elections in October could signal peril after years of work by feminists.
Abortion was the heart of the protests, but crowds of women also raised alarm about the region's high rates of gender-based violence as well as abuses aimed at LGBTQ+ communities.
Green smoke floated over a roaring crowd of thousands of women in Mexico City who waved green handkerchiefs, which have become the symbol of Latin America's 鈥済reen wave鈥 abortion movement. Signs reading 鈥淚t鈥檚 my decision鈥 and 鈥淔ree and safe abortions for everyone鈥 speckled the crowd.
The march came just weeks after Mexico鈥檚 Supreme Court knocked down all federal criminal penalties for abortion, ruling that national laws prohibiting the procedure are unconstitutional and violate women鈥檚 rights. The move will also require federal health institutions to offer abortion to anyone who requests it.
鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely an achievement,鈥 said Fernanda Castro, an organizer at GIRE, the women鈥檚 rights organization that brought forward the lawsuit before Mexico鈥檚 high court. 鈥淎nd now we have another even more important fight 鈥 decriminalizing abortion in the minds of the people.鈥
While 20 Mexican states still have abortion bans on the books, the decision by the Supreme Court greatly expanded access to the procedue in a country where reproductive laws were long defined by its religious and conservative roots.
Latin American feminists have spent decades fighting to roll back strict prohibitions.
Mexico City was the first Mexican jurisdiction to decriminalize abortion 15 years ago. The trend picked up speed in , which in 2020 legalized the procedure. In 2022, a highly conservative country, did the same.
Brazil may be next. Currently, abortion is a crime with exceptions for cases of rape and birth defects in a fetus, but a case before the nation鈥檚 Supreme Court could potentially decriminalize the procedure up to 12 weeks of gestation.
鈥淭he green wave is going to keep growing and (Brazilian women) are not alone,鈥 Castro said.
While marches in Mexico and other parts of the region were celebratory, in Argentina鈥檚 capital of Buenos Aires, the demonstration was marked with unease.
As elections loom in October, many in the crowd marching toward the Congress building fear their legal gains may soon get rolled back with the rise of right-wing candidate Javier Milei.
Now the leading candidate in polls, Milei, has spoken out against abortion, compulsory sex education in schools and free medical coverage for sex change treatments, among other issues. If he wins, he has promised to hold a referendum to repeal the decriminalization of abortion nationwide approved by Congress in 2022.
鈥淢ore than winning more rights, this is about protecting them. The most important thing is to protect what鈥檚 already there,鈥 said Sara Rivas, an art student. 鈥淢ilei is a denialist. We鈥檝e seen him deny everything from femicides to the years-long struggle that has brought us to this green wave.鈥
Still, Rivas, who carried a sign with a drawing of Milei hanging from a green bandana, said women will turn to the same approach they have used for decades to press for their goals.
鈥淥ur answer is that we are here. We are not going to leave the streets, because these gains, we conquered them in the streets,鈥 she said.
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Rey reported from Buenos Aires.
