Böll.Global 21 | Abortion as a fundamental right

There are countries on every continent where laws and social prejudice make it difficult or even impossible for pregnant women to exercise their right to reproductive self-determination and to access safe abortions. Pro-choice activists everywhere are campaigning for these rights , especially in regions with strong right-wing conservative and anti-feminist tendencies.

In some countries where feminists have been fighting for the legalization of abortion for many decades, successes have recently been achieved or are imminent:
In Colombia, the Constitutional Court decriminalized abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy in 2022. The Causa Justa por el Aborto movement, which brings together a broad alliance of over 100 organizations and 130 activists, successfully fought its way through all instances.

After years of feminist battles, the French Congress adopted a constitutional reform at the beginning of March 2024 that enshrines the "guaranteed freedom" of women to have a voluntary abortion. This makes France the first country in the world to enshrine this right in its constitution.

In Poland, the current center-left coalition owes its election victory to Polish feminists. During the election campaign, it had promised the liberalization of abortion law, over-the-counter access to the morning-after pill and state support for in-vitro fertilization.

In German feminist movements, reproductive self-determination is a fundamental principle, and focusing on the abolition of §218 has long been a central political goal. However, almost a year after the verdict against the doctor Kristina Hänel, who was convicted under criminal law for providing information on abortion, neither a reform of §218 nor its abolition by politicians has been achieved. Feminist alliances therefore need to rethink their strategy.

In mid-April, a commission of experts appointed by the governing coalition recommended a general legalization of abortions in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. So far, however, none of the coalition parties have announced that they will bring forward a corresponding law in this legislature. What can we learn from successful legalization campaigns in other countries?

In the 21th episode of our online discussion series Böll.Global, we talk to activists from countries with (formerly) restrictive abortion laws about the feminist strategies they have used to mobilize for and achieve the decriminalization of abortion.

The following questions will be discussed:

• How did they organize resistance and change in their countries, and what strategies led to success?
• How do the struggles of pro-choice activists differ and what unites them?
• How are broad alliances possible? What other issues were negotiated in the alliances?
• Which narratives around abortion and self-determination were successful?
• What lessons can be learned from these struggles for other contexts?
• What is the legal situation in Germany and where do we stand in international comparison?
• What are activists in Germany planning to achieve decriminalization in this legislative period?

With:

• Katrin Lange, political scientist, Observatory for Sociopolitical Developments in Europe
• Laura Gil, doctor, Medicos por el derecho a decidir, Colombia
• Justyna Wydrzynska, women's rights activist, Abortion Dream Team, Poland

Moderator: Derya Binışık, Head of Global Unit for Feminism and Gender Democracy, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Sarajevo

Contact:
Louisa Reeh
Heinrich Böll Foundation
E reeh@boell.de

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