Today's a big day in Argentina - it's the 15th anniversary of the National Campaign for Legal, Safe & Free Abortion!
I wanted to do a thread about what's going on for folks who might be curious
#QueSeaLey #AbortoLegalYa #AbortoLegal2020 @CampAbortoLegal

Dora Coledsky became a feminist sometime btwn 1976 & 1984, while she was in exile in France. She had fled Argentina at the start of the military dictatorship, and joined the Feminist Revolutionary League of France to organize with other Latin Americans while she was abroad.

When she returned to Argentina in 1984, she was prepared to fight for women’s rights--including the right to legal abortion. In 1987, she founded the Commission for the Right to Abortion--the group which would become the National Campaign for Legal, Safe & Free Abortion.

In 1986, Argentina had held its first National Women's Conference (a product of the UN's World Conferences on Women -- still going strong today. Think the Houston ep of Mrs America). So, in 1988, Dora co-led a workshop at the conference with Alieda Verhoeven & @GabarraMabel

The Commission organized for abortion rights throughout the 1990s, publicly presenting a bill to legalize abortion outside of Argentina's Congress in 1992 and leading a workshop on contraception at the National Women's Conference in 1997.

In 2003, the now famous green pañuelo appeared at the National Women's Conference, where activists focused in on a path towards legalization. A feminist with @Hilando designed the pattern and activists from @CDDArgentina brought the bandanas. (pañuelos from Mx, Ec & Ar)

Then, on May 28, 2005 (International Day of Action for Women's Health), the National Campaign for Legal, Safe & Free Abortion was born when activists submitted a bill to legalize abortion to Argentina's Congress. #28M

The National Campaign continued submitting bills to legalize abortion through the 2000s. But then, in 2018, their bill almost passed--and the outpouring of demonstrators in Buenos Aires sparked a continent-wide "Green Wave."

This year, on February 19, the Campaign submitted its bill to legalize abortion for the 8th time in 15 years. Just days later, in his first address to Congress, newly-elected @alferdez promised to send his own bill to legalize abortion to the legislature within 10 days.

Then, of course, the WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic and countries across the world, including Argentina, began shutting down. Although the congressional abortion debate has been delayed, feminists are still organizing the same way we've all been these days: online.

To celebrate it's 15th anniversary, the National Campaign won't be hosting a rally outside of Congress as it's done in the past (photos all from last year). But, it will be leading several online events this evening https://twitter.com/CampAbortoLegal/status/1264729253511299072

It's not the anniversary that they had planned for, but like all of us, they're making it work.

I have lots of feelings about this anniversary, how Argentine feminists have kept the momentum of the women's liberation era going strong, and what North American activists might learn from their organizing, but I'll leave you with some art instead of my ramblings:

Big shoutout to @florencialcaraz, without whose book "¡Qué Sea Ley!: La lucha de los feminismos por el aborto legal" I would know none of this.
Other resources for those curious: http://abortolegal.com.ar/ 
https://bit.ly/36zVnES 
@latfemnoticias
http://revistaanfibia.com/cronica/pioneras-del-aborto-legal/