Let it be law! in Mexico

 

 

A series of four events led by Ambulante leading to the International Safe Abortion Day on September 28. 

 

Each event comprises three activities: (1) the exhibition of Let it be law (Juan Solanas, 2019) a feature documentary on reproductive rights and the Green Wave movement; (2) a roundtable discussing the status of reproductive rights in a given province (Veracruz, Puebla, Guanajuato and Durango); (3) batucada (drum circle) or poetry reading with local artists.

 

Together with their allies from other civil society sectors, Ambulante will work with a network of young women in four key provinces to organize community films screenings of Let it be law! The film will be available for streaming during the whole day. Youth can organize the screening with their friends, neighbors, coworkers or classmates either online or face to face. The only condition is to watch the film together on the given date. Viewers will be encouraged to convene at the roundtable, so they can understand the state of reproductive rights in their provinces, how to access local resources, and the steps to push for change. At the end of the day, there will be a celebration of women’s reproductive rights with an artistic soiree. These two activities will be webcasted live.

 

 

 

 

In Mexico, each province establishes the causal factors for legal abortion. Although such norms allow abortions under certain circumstances, the legal framework still considers abortion a felony. The differences in legislation across provinces generates discrimination, as women have less or more rights depending on the province in which they live or their assets to afford travelling. Women from marginalized backgrounds without access to reproductive information or living in repressive environments see their rights to a healthy and free of violence life even more restricted.

 

 

Ambulante adheres to the belief that reproductive rights lie at the core of human rights. Each woman should have access to the necessary resources to make free and informed decisions about her body and life path. The coronavirus outbreak has only highlighted how reproductive rights in Mexico are conditioned upon wealth. Women have lost the savings that might fund their own processes, and social distancing measures have made travelling across provinces and access to hospitals or clinics more difficult. 

 

 

This series of events will bring such injustices to public attention.  With our partners we will work to reaffirm the necessity of women’s freedom for a just society. With these series of events we underscore how arts and women’s advocacy can build upon their own strengths to have a larger social impact: change a context of injustice to one of liberty and trust.