Many of us remember where we were and how we felt when we heard the news that the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in the 2022 Dobbs v Jackson decision. It sent shockwaves not only across the country, but also around the world, as Roe was held as a nearly 50-year legal standard for protecting abortion rights on a national level.
Clearly it was not the beacon of abortion rights that many had thought. So as the U.S. grapples with the current patchwork of restrictive state bans that are having deadly consequences on women’s lives, in the Global South, there is a different narrative emerging, one that underscores the need for the Global North to pay attention.
In 2022, not too long after the Dobbs decision, Colombia’s constitutional court did the unthinkable – decriminalized abortion up to 24 weeks gestation, making it home to one of the most progressive abortion policies in the world.
How did they do it? Slowly. Why is it significant to hear about this now? Because as we hurtle toward a U.S. presidential election where abortion rights are arguably the most important topic on the ballot, there are many lessons we can learn from Colombia’s long-game strategy.
In the latest episode of Green Tide Rising, an audio and video series executive produced and co-hosted by our founder Asha Dahya which spotlights Latin America’s Green Wave and what those of us fighting for abortion access and reproductive freedom in the U.S. can learn from this iconic, feminist movement, listeners get to hear from two of the women who worked on the now-iconic court case that changed it all in Colombia.
The journey to decriminalization began in 2006, and with the tragic news of the death of Martha Gonzalez, a pregnant woman who was denied a lifesaving abortion procedure because she had cancer and the healthcare system decided the life of her fetus was more important than her, the Causa Justa movement found their catalyst for galvanizing people across the country.
Tune into Episode 4 of Green Tide Rising to hear feminist lawyer Mariana Ardila, and Brujula Communications expert Carolina Dueñas share with Asha how they found success with their case, despite numerous setbacks and a COVID-19 pandemic to contend with along the way.
Listen and subscribe to Green Tide Rising wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget to rate and review if you like what you hear! Once you’ve heard the episode, you can also watch the accompanying video series ENTONCES on Youtube, shared below, which gives you a short visual overview of the audio episode.
