September 28th: Why it's a key date for feminism
Did you know why September 28th is the Global Day of Action for Access to Legal, Safe, and Free Abortion? In Latin America, we take to the streets to demand that this right be fulfilled and to tell the right wing: Not one step back.
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Thousands of women, lesbians, bisexuals, transvestites, trans and non-binary people, and trans men will take to the streets on Thursday, September 28 (28S) in Latin America. They will do so as part of the Global Day of Action for Access to Legal, Safe, and Free Abortion to defend what has been achieved and demand what is still needed.
Why September 28th?
The date originated in 1990 at the Fifth Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Meeting, held in Argentina. It was approved through the San Bernardo Declaration , named after the town where a workshop on abortion was held and the document was drafted.
Complications from unsafe and clandestine abortions remain the leading cause of maternal mortality in many Latin American countries. According to the World Health Organization, more than 25 million unsafe abortions are performed worldwide each year resulting in 39,000 deaths annually.
Thanks to the struggle and alliances built from feminism, in the last 30 years more than 60 countries have liberalized their laws on abortion.
However, this right is not guaranteed. During that same period, four countries regressed in terms of reproductive rights: the United States in 2022, with the overturning of Roe v. Wade ; El Salvador; Nicaragua; and Poland. In Argentina, meanwhile, Javier Milei, one of the leading presidential candidates, called for a referendum on the law legalizing abortion, which had been passed in 2020.
One piece of good news: in September 2023, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to criminalize people capable of becoming pregnant who choose to terminate their pregnancies , as well as the medical personnel who provide this service. While this was a significant step forward, decriminalization is at the state level, so the fight for its full guarantee continues.
Not one step back
In response, on September 28th, feminist movements will march everywhere to say “not one step back.” They will also stand against the advance of movements and parties that threaten human rights.
“This March 28th gives us a new reason to say: Not one step back. No one left out. Never less. Not one less. And never again. All our slogans are more relevant than ever. And it is also an opportunity to unite with our counterparts in Latin America who continue fighting to legalize abortion in Brazil, in Honduras, in Chile: neither imprisoned nor dead,” said Pate Palero, executive director of Catholics for Choice, in an interview with Presentes.
“There is an urgent need to be present. To loudly proclaim who we are and to not back down on any of the gains of recent times. Feminism is a movement that was born to fight against oppression. We cannot allow, under any circumstances, any erosion of our hard-won rights,” said Mónica Santino, a feminist and lesbian activist.
The former soccer player, current coach, and member of La Nuestra Fútbol Feminista , the team that trains in the Padre Carlos Mugica neighborhood (formerly Villa 31), recalled that “the street is our natural place of struggle.” She added, “We need this space to reaffirm who we are.”
The "ESI in Quechua" collective also called for a march "driven by the green wave and the spirit of our ancestors" in defense of their territories. They also called for "free, happy, and proud trans and gender-diverse children with a future" and "comprehensive, intercultural, anti-racist sex education in Indigenous languages," among other demands.
Marches in Argentina and Mexico
In Argentina, a massive mobilization will take place in unity , with sectors of the left, Peronists, unions, the popular economy, organized and autonomous.
They will march to defend legal abortion and Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE) . They will also take a clear stance against right-wing politics, austerity measures, and the International Monetary Fund. The march will begin at 4 PM in Plaza de Mayo and proceed to the National Congress in Buenos Aires, with similar demonstrations taking place throughout the country.
In Mexico City, the "Let's Abort Transphobia" festival starting at 2 PM outside the Fiesta Americana Hotel. There will also be an abortion rights festival at noon outside the Museum of Memory and Tolerance.
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