After Legalization: Abortion Activists and Their Ongoing Struggles in Argentina

Abstract

The feminist pro-abortion movement in Argentina, spearheaded by the National Campaign for the Right to Legal, Safe, and Free Abortion (“the Campaign”), achieved a landmark victory for reproductive rights when the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Law (IVE) was passed in 2020. Although abortion activists at the time seemed poised to defend and expand this important yet partial victory, my research reveals a surprising decline in momentum following this legislative achievement, which abortion activists in Argentina refer to as “deflation (desinfle)." My research asks, What factors explain the decline of mobilization after IVE was approved? What strategies do feminist activists use to navigate the challenges that have emerged in the post-reform context? How can collective organizing persist beyond partial victories? Based on qualitative research I conducted in Buenos Aires in August 2024, this thesis examines how the strategies that once unified the Campaign lost their effectiveness and led to further fragmentation after the law’s approval, exposing the complexities of sustaining feminist struggles over time. Engaging with social movement theory and scholarship on reproductive politics in Latin America, I analyze the challenges of maintaining collective mobilization in the aftermath of a legislative success. I draw on semi-structured interviews with Campaign activists who remained engaged after the law’s passage to shed light on the emotional toll, organizational struggles, and ideological fractures that have shaped the movement’s post-reform trajectory. By centering on the experiences of abortion activists, this thesis highlights the pressing need to develop sustainable strategies for long-term feminist engagement in Latin America.