Engendering Democracy: The Significance of Abortion Legalization in Argentina

Date: 

Tuesday, September 14, 2021, 12:30pm


This event is virtual, to register click here.

Speakers: Vilma Ibarra, Legal and Technical Secretary, Presidency of Argentina; Silvia Lospennato, Diputada Nacional, PRO; Paola Bergallo, Associate Professor of Law, School of Law, Universidad Torcuato di Tella and Adjunct Researcher, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Silvina Ramos, Technical Coordinator, National Plan for the Prevention and Reduction of Unintentional Pregnancy in Adolescence (Plan Enia); Advisor, National Directorate of Sexual and Reproductive Health of the Ministry of Health of the Nation; Director, Virtual Diploma in Health and Sexual and Reproductive Rights for Latin America (CEDES-ISALUD University); and Coordinator, Observatory on Sexual and Reproductive Health of Argentina (OSSyR); Sandra Formia, Obstetrician/Gynecologist, former Provincial Coordinator, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Santa Fe Province (2017-2019), member, REDAAS (Red Argentina de Acceso al Aborto Seguro)
Chair and Moderator: Alicia Ely Yamin, Senior Fellow in Global Health and Rights, The Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School; Senior Advisor on Human Rights, Partners in Health

In December 2020, first trimester abortion was legalized in Argentina with the passage of Law 27.610. This historic move presents an inflection point for Argentine democracy, as well as a case study in how rights concepts can be deployed effectively to advance reproductive justice. In this event, key actors in the long struggle for legalization — including representatives from the executive and the legislative branches of government, as well as civil society, together with legal academics and health professionals — will describe the complicated and multi-staged narrative of how Argentina arrived at this point. Panelists will reflect on the legislation’s significance in engendering Argentine democracy, and consider challenges to implementation across a diverse country with a significant Catholic population. The discussion also will address the so-called “Green Wave” of feminist mobilization for this law, and its broader implications for advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality across the region.

Follow the conversation and submit questions on Twitter @PetrieFlom using #GreenWaveArgentina.

Presented in collaboration with the Global Health and Rights Project (GHRP), a collaboration between the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School, the Global Health Education and Learning Incubator (GHELI) at Harvard University