September 28

Latin American and Caribbean Day for Decriminalization of Abortion

At the 5th Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Meeting, held in 1990 in San Bernardo, Argentina, the women's movement proclaimed September 28 as the Latin American and Caribbean Day for Decriminalization of Abortion, identifying the need to focus public attention on this important issue, particularly in light of the fact that unsafe abortions are one of the primary causes of maternal death throughout the region and because the right to decide freely and autonomously the number and spacing of one's children is a basic human right.

Since 1991, the regional coordination of the campaign has been the responsibility of feminist organizations known internationally for their actions in defense of reproductive rights:

Uruguay's Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir (Catholics for a Free Choice) was in charge of the first period of coordination from 1992 to 1994. CDD is now based in Argentina.

From 1994 to 1997, campaign leadership was taken up by Grupo de Información sobre Reproducción Elegida (GIRE, Reproductive Choice Information Group) in Mexico.

For the next two years (1998-99), the coordination of the campaign was in the hands of Bolivia's Centro de Información y Desarrollo de la Mujer (CIDEM, Women's Information and Development Center).

In 2000-2002, the campaign was coordinated by Brazil's Rede Nacional Feminista de Saúde e Direitos Reprodutivos, RedeSaúde (National Feminist Reproductive Health and Rights Network).

During the 2003-2005 period, the campaign was coordinated by the Centro de la Mujer Peruana "Flora Tristán" ("Flora Tristán" Peruvian Women's Center).

In 2006, a coalition of the Nicaraguan women's movement took up the campaign coordination, under Regional Coordinator Patricia Orozco.

The organizations and networks adhering to the campaign have committed to promoting the humanization of health care services and the reduction of maternal mortality. In this effort, the campaign partners advocate the fulfillment of laws allowing abortion and legislative reform to decriminalize abortion through political consensus.

During 2000 and 2001, the campaign Calls for Action emphasized abortion as a matter of human rights and women's citizenship. In 2002, the Call to Action demanded "Separation of Church and State: For the Right to A Free Choice" declaring that the only possible route for democracy and full respect for individual freedom lies in the essential separation of Church and State.

In recent years, the Catholic Church's interference in public policy -in alliance with sectors of the extreme right- has increased dramatically and has saturated on issues of far-reaching importance for women and men with dogmatic and moralistic views, especially in the case of sexual and reproductive rights. Throughout our region the line between Church and State is being blurred in Chile, Peru, Argentina, El Salvador, Mexico and elsewhere as religious authorities sway over government policy becomes increasingly evident. This conservative resurgence is also evident in the actions of U.S. President George W. Bush, specifically, the reinstatement of the "Global Gag Rule." Under this reactionary policy, any organization that receives money from USAIDS is prohibited from even discussing abortion.

This situation is especially serious for its impact on sexual and reproductive rights, over which these radical religious sectors seek to impose their own rigid behavioral codes based on their particular belief systems. Obviously, in such a context women's right to voluntary motherhood is hampered, even in those countries in which abortion is legal or where there are legally accepted reasons for the termination of pregnancy.

In this regard, recent Calls for Action of the September 28 campaign have emphasized the following aspects:

Abortion is a public health concern. Unsafe and clandestine abortion is the leading cause of maternal death and a wide range of morbidities. In Latin America and the Caribbean alone, every year over 4 million women have clandestine abortions and 6,000 die due to the complications of unsafe procedures (World Health Organization).

Abortion is a matter of human rights. To deny abortion is to deny the recognition of women's basic rights, such as the rights to autonomy, dignity and liberty.

Abortion is a question of democracy. It is associated with the free exercise of voluntary motherhood, not childbearing imposed by law.

Women decide, the State must guarantee, society must respect, and the religious right must not intervene!

For more information, contact:
Patricia Orozco, Regional Coordinator
E-mail: c28setlac@yahoo.es

Website (pending launch): http://www.abortolegal.org

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