The Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion has its origin in Latin America and the Caribbean where women’s groups began mobilizing around September 28 two decades ago. They demanded their governments decriminalize abortion, provide access to safe and affordable abortion services, and end the stigma and discrimination towards women who choose to have an abortion.
The original name of the campaign is Campaña 28 de Septiembre por la Despenalización del Aborto, which continues up to this day. It has grown in force and commitment on the part of women’s rights activists in the region. The date was chosen in commemoration of the abolition of slavery in Brazil, which is now remembered as the day of the “free womb,” demanding safe and legal abortion for all women.
