What Overturning Roe v. Wade Could Mean For Global Abortion Access

1A

NPR

News

4.3 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 10 May 2022

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As abortion gets harder and harder to access in the U.S., Latin America is moving in the opposite direction. In December 2020, Argentina legalized abortion up to 14 weeks and became the largest nation south of the U.S. to do so. Mexico and Colombia's courts did the same shortly after. The feminist movement responsible in part for this change is known as "the green wave" and has gained traction in a region where the Catholic Church has significant influence over politics and social beliefs. Now, activists have their sights set on Chile and Brazil.

However, the latest news of the leaked draft opinion on Roe v. Wade is concerning for Colombians. The U.S. Supreme Court's potential decision could sway the South American country's own courts which legalized abortion up to 24 weeks in February.

We speak with experts on Latin America about the lessons the U.S. can take away from these movements and what overturning Roe v. Wade could mean for global abortion rights.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Argentina's Senate has voted to legalize abortion in a landmark ruling that could have
0:13.2	repercussions across Latin America.
0:15.6	Just south of the border, in one of the most Catholic countries in the world, Mexico's
0:20.3	Supreme Court made waves, voting unanimously to decriminalize abortions.
0:26.0	And the world's all over the world.
0:32.2	Tonight, across Colombia, abortion supporters celebrating after the nation's high court legalized
0:37.6	abortion until the 24th week of pregnancy, some calling the move historic.
0:44.4	As abortion access gets more restricted in the U.S., Latin America is moving in a different
0:49.1	direction.
0:50.1	Since Argentina legalized abortion at the end of 2020, the social and political pressure
0:54.0	to decriminalize it has been growing.
0:56.4	It's a significant shift in a region where the Catholic Church, which opposes abortion,
1:00.7	has a major influence on politics and public opinion.
1:03.7	A movement called the Green Wave has spread to courts in Mexico and Colombia, now activists
1:09.0	are looking to Chile and Brazil to be next.
1:11.6	So what's been the strategy behind Latin America's growing abortion rights and what impact
1:15.8	could the reversal of Roe v. Wade have on the rest of the Americas and abroad?
1:20.1	Your listen to the 1A podcast, I'm David Gura in For Gen White.
1:32.1	Remember to join future conversations, download our 1A Vox Pop app and leave us a voicemail.
1:41.4	This message comes from NPR sponsor BetterHelp.
1:44.5	Stress shows up in all kinds of ways.
1:46.9	In a world that's telling you to do more, sleep less and grind all the time, here's your
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.