August 8, 2018 was a historical day.
By International Labour Network
One million women and men in green, primarily working class, surronded the Argentinian Parliament in order to put pressure on the Senators to pass the bill legalizing abortion.
The Senate opposed the bill. 38 senators voted against while 31 in favor. 2 abstained.
Now women and people’s organizations will increase the pressure in order to bring back the bill in 2019.
Despite of the fact the Senate is a corrupt institution which always bend to economic pressures and conservative agendas, everyone in Argentina believe that passing the bill is a matter of time.
Currently around 500,000 women have abortion in Argentina every year.
80,000 of them are hospitalized as a result of complications from abortion and around 100 die.
The main forces against legalization of abortion are the Catholic Church and the clandestine abortion industry.
The abortion industry is a multi-millionaire illegal business together with drug trafficking and arms trade.
In order to keep their profits, these capitalists stand against the legalization of abortion.
“It is disgusting that after having an abortion, the rich confess while the poor die”. That is what Cecilia Ousset, a doctor from Mendoza post in the social midia.
The working class women are the main ones to benefit from the legalization. They are the ones to die or to have medical complications.
Despite of that CGT – the largest labor federation – announced that it was not taking a stand regarding the bill to legalize abortion due to diverse personal and religious beliefs among its members.
Others like CTA and Corriente Federal sided with the working women for legalization.
On top of legalization, the working class women will have to struggle for public funding to provide sexual education in schools and neighborhoods, free and easy access to contraceptives, and safe abortion in public hospitals and clinics.
International solidarity actions with the Argentinians for the legalization of abortion were held in capital cities across the continent.
Rallies were held in front of Argentinian embassies and consulates in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Santiago de Chile, Assuncion de Paraguay, San Jose de Costa Rica and Mexico city.
Both CSP-Conlutas – a Brazilian labor federation – and Sao Jose dos Campos Metalworkers Union sent delegations to Buenos Aires to support the struggle.
Both delegations came back to Brazil excited by the huge mobilization in Argentina.
Now they want to build a green wave in Brazil.
Each year, 56 million abortions are performed across the world.
Latin America and the Caribbean have the largest rate of abortion per inhabitants worldwide.
Europe and North America, where abortion is legalized, have the lowest.
Nicaragua and El Salvador are the only countries in Latin America where abortion is fully phohibited while Cuba and Uruguay are the only ones where it is fully legalized.
CSP-Conlutas stands in solidarity with working class women fighting for women’s rights across the world.
The struggle for women rights is a struggle for the whole working class, both men and women.
