Latin American activists warn of pushback on reproductive rights
Summary
After US, other countries in LatAm looking to reverse abortion rights, activists say
Region split between gov'ts easing and tightening reproductive laws
Argentina cuts causing shortages in contraceptives, medical services
MEXICO CITY, March 6 (Reuters) - Latin American rights activists on Thursday warned of growing political threats to reproductive rights across the region, as the United States rolls back access to abortion.
"What we are seeing is a lot of backlash of progress after many years of human rights struggles," Paula Avila-Guillen, executive director of the Women's Equality Center told a conference. "What happens in one country has repercussions."
Latin America has a patchwork of policies on reproductive rights. El Salvador has one of the world's strictest abortion laws, imposing homicide sentences for what rights activists say are miscarriages, while a top Colombian court ruled in 2022 that abortion is for up to 24 weeks from conception.
Many countries in the region limit access to women or girls who can prove their pregnancy carries life-threatening risks or resulted from rape - often causing long delays past gestational week limits.
In Argentina, where abortion is legal, activists pointed to funding cuts by the government of libertarian President Javier Milei, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, that have effectively cut off access to abortion and restricted supplies of contraceptives.
"For us not having contraception is taking us back to the 1960s. It's a really, really, really significant rollback," said Amnesty International Argentina's executive director Mariela Belski.
Belski said state cuts had left a national helpline for gender violence nearly completely unmanned. Provinces were already reporting shortages of misoprostol and mifepristone, essential drugs for safe abortion, after the government froze funding for new purchases.
Milei argues that abortion and feminism are part of a "nefarious ideology" and that the state should not spend money on related services.
Argentina is one of a handful of Latam countries that allow abortion for up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, without needing to prove rape or serious medical conditions.
Milei's party last year presented a bill to criminalize abortion, less than four years after a previous government legalized it, but the measure failed to gather the necessary support.
The World Health Organisation has estimated that 5% to 13% of maternal deaths worldwide are due to unsafe abortions, and that three in every four abortions in Latin America are unsafe.
In the Dominican Republic, where abortion is banned entirely, Natalia Marmol, a Women's Equality Center program lead, said grassroots movements are looking to ease criminal penalties in a country with some of the region's highest maternal mortality and teenage pregnancy rates.
"We're going to have setbacks," Marmol said. "We need to remember this is just a moment and we need to continue to fight so it does not gather more strength."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Yobs hurl petrol bombs, fireworks and bottles at cops in FIFTH night of riots as chaos spreads to new town
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MASKED yobs hurled petrol bombs and fireworks at cops for a fifth night in Northern Ireland, in what has been dubbed a "week of shame" for the region. Cops battled another night of violence as thugs continued to cause widespread devastation after the chaos began on Monday. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 A rioter walks past burning flames after chaos in Northern Ireland Credit: Getty 4 Riot police were out in force but were met by a barrage of petrol bombs and fireworks Credit: Getty 4 Riot police officers walk near a fire during the fourth night of unrest following a protest over an alleged sexual assault on a local teenage girl Credit: Reuters The unrest began on Monday in Ballymena over the alleged sexual assault of a girl in the town and the subsequent arrest of two 14-year-old boys. But the focus of the violence and unrest has since shifted to Portadown. One officer was directly in the impact of a petrol bomb that landed behind a line of police vehicles during a sustained standoff with those participating in the unrest yesterday. Fireworks, masonry, and bottles were among other items thrown at riot police deployed in the town. Shortly before midnight cops used a water cannon on the crowd in an effort to disperse those gathered on West Street into other areas. The force used the water cannon again at around 12.30am on Saturday. Incidents have also occurred in other towns - Larne Leisure Centre was set on fire on Wednesday, while a man, woman, and four children escaped an arson attack on a house in Coleraine in the early hours of Friday. Elsewhere on Friday, there were reports of disruption and damage to public property as riot police responded to another protest in the Tullyally area of Londonderry. It came after a senior officer said there would be a "scaled-up" policing presence across Northern Ireland in anticipation of further disorder over the weekend. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the mobilisation, which would include officers sent over from Scotland, was "to reassure our communities and protect our streets". Violence originally erupted on Monday, stemming from an initially peaceful gathering to support a girl and her family after an alleged sexual assault. Sick moment vile yob shouts 'f*** foreigners' while setting family's home on FIRE in 'racist' riot carnage Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court charged with attempted rape on Monday. A third man, 28, was also arrested over the alleged sexual assault. The boys confirmed their names - which cannot be reported - and their ages through a Romanian interpreter at Coleraine Magistrates' Court. But within hours of their court appearance, disorder broke out in Co Antrim. Families in the town of Ballymena have been forced to flee their homes as the riots continue. Crowds set fire to piles of furniture in the middle of the streets, homes were set alight, and multiple cars went up in flames. Harrowing photos from the last two nights show the charred remains of residents' property. Footage showed masked and hooded rioters lobbing petrol bombs, fireworks and bricks at cops trying to calm the unrest on Tuesday. Officers fired baton rounds and water cannon in a desperate bid to keep the mobs at bay. Why the two 14-year-old boys charged with attempted rape can't be named The two teenagers charged with attempted rape appeared at Coleraine Magistrates' Court on Monday. The defendants cannot be named due to their ages. Article 22(2) of the 1998 Order restricts press and media reporting of proceedings in youth courts. It states that, where a child is concerned in any criminal proceedings in a youth court or on appeal from a youth court, no report revealing the name, address or school of any child, including anything likely to lead to the identification of the child, shall be published. Press and media are also restricted from publishing a picture of any child concerned, except where the court or the Department of Justice, if satisfied that it is in the interests of justice to do so, makes an order dispensing with these prohibitions.
Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Barrage of ‘hundreds' of Iranian missiles lights up Tel Aviv sky & blasts heard in Tehran in huge Middle East escalation
STRIKING BACK Barrage of 'hundreds' of Iranian missiles lights up Tel Aviv sky & blasts heard in Tehran in huge Middle East escalation Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IRAN overnight launched scores of ballistic missiles targeting Israel as the Ayatollah's vengeance edges the Middle East towards all-out war. At least three Israelis have been killed and dozens injured after ballistic missiles tore through the skies of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. 7 An explosion as a ballistic missile strikes in Tel Aviv Credit: AP 7 Israeli air defence systems do battle with Iranian missiles in the skies Credit: AP 7 Rescuers outside a missile strike site in Ramat Gan, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv Credit: Reuters At least three rounds of missiles and sporadic drones descended on the civilian population across the country. The strikes managed to severely damage some neighbourhoods in Tel Aviv. Tehran branded them revenge strikes after Israel smoked nuclear facilities across Iran and decapitated the regime's top military leadership. Israel also managed to kill at least two top nuclear scientists who worked to help Iran inch towards producing nuclear weapons. Both sides have warned more is yet to come, with Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowing to inflict "heavy blows". Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Iran that "more is on the way" and warned "the regime does not know what will hit them". The country's defence minister Israel Katz said Iran "crossed red lines after it dared to attack the civilian population" and will now "pay a heavy price for it". Netanyahu also appealed directly to "the proud people of Iran", urging them "stand up and let your voices be heard" as Israel undertakes "one of the greatest military operations in history". But his calls were offset by jubilant scenes on the streets of Tehran, where crowds gathered on Friday night to revel in the regime's show of defiance. Earlier on Friday, Iran's war machine stood in ruins following a ferocious Israeli blitz which killed top generals, destroyed nuclear facilities, and shattered missile bases. Israel, with its unmatched air force, powerful missile defences, and intelligence reach, demonstrated its ability to hit Iran at its core. Iran, while weakened, still commands regional proxy networks like Hezbollah and the Houthis - forces that could be unleashed in asymmetric retaliation. Iran described Israel's multifaceted offensive as a "declaration of war", and said it considers the US to "share full responsibility" - despite the Americans absolving themselves of collaborating in the strikes. Iran's representative to the UN said that 78 people had been killed and more than 320 others injured by the Israeli attacks on Tehran. 7 Israeli Prime Minister appealed to the Iranian people to rise up Credit: AFP 7 The first strikes hit Tehran in the early hours of Friday Credit: AP 7 People pick through rubbled buildings in Nobonyad Square in Tehran following Israeli airstrikes Credit: Getty 7 Stay up to date with the latest on Israel vs Iran with The Sun's live blog below...
Reuters
18 hours ago
- Reuters
Skadden law firm fellowship revamps application to omit 'racial justice,' 'equity'
June 13 (Reuters) - The Skadden Foundation, a public interest law fellowship program entirely funded by law firm Skadden Arps, has altered its application criteria to remove language related to racial justice and other topics that became flashpoints for U.S. law firms under the Trump administration. Applicants last year were required to explain "the role of public interest work in addressing systemic racism" and asked, "to the extent your project relates to racial justice, please describe the intended impact of your project on racial equity in our country." That essay question is absent in updated application materials for the two-year fellowship, which funds law graduates to work at non-profit organizations, according to a Reuters review of the current applications and archived versions from one year ago. The foundation also removed language encouraging applications from lawyers "who are members of groups that historically have been underrepresented in the legal profession," and who have "deep connections with or insights into the marginalized client communities they seek to serve," a comparison showed. Spokespeople for the Skadden Foundation and the law firm did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The foundation's former executive director Kathleen Rubenstein resigned last week, telling Reuters that she was leaving "rather than endorse actions that I believe will undermine its mission." She did not elaborate and had no immediate comment on Friday on the updated application. Susan Plum, who took over as interim executive director of the foundation, said in a statement last week that "maintaining a broad, nonpartisan approach in an increasingly polarized climate is more difficult than ever and some believe it runs counter to the foundation's purpose and values. We fundamentally disagree." Plum did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. Skadden, a 1,700 lawyer firm based in New York, made a deal in March with President Donald Trump to devote $100 million in free legal work to causes supported by the White House and committed to what Trump called merit-based employment practices. That agreement, one of nine made by prominent firms after Trump began targeting law firms with executive orders over their past cases and hires, required Skadden to also fund at least five fellowships related to "Assisting Veterans; ensuring fairness in our Justice System; combatting Antisemitism, and other similar types of projects." Skadden had agreed that its fellows would "represent a wide range of political views, including conservative ideals," Trump had said in a March 28 post on his Truth Social platform. The Skadden Foundation's website now includes new language, saying that it prohibits "discrimination against applicants and fellows on any basis prohibited by applicable law." It adds now that applicants should work at a "strong, nonpartisan host organization." Skadden's deal with Trump also resolved an inquiry launched by the acting chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which in March had warned Skadden and 19 other major law firms that their employment policies, meant to boost diversity, equity and inclusion, may be illegal. Other law firms and major U.S. companies have dropped or considered altering their DEI policies after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 2023 ruling curtailing affirmative action. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January cracking down on such programs in the federal government and in the private sector.
