The leak of the Supreme Court’s draft vote, which would put an end to the 1973 ruling that decriminalized abortion throughout the United States, has set off alarms in the country and other parts of the world because of the impact that this reactionary step would have.
It would be a historic setback that eliminates, with the stroke of a pen, the right of women and all people who can get pregnant to make decisions about their own bodies.
Since 1973, when the case known as Roe v. Wade established the legality of abortion throughout the United States, conservative organizations, along with so-called pro-life groups and many churches, have battled every day to overturn the ruling.
For decades, state legislatures have enacted restrictions on access to voluntary abortions, making it almost impossible to obtain an abortion legally. They have advanced so far in their objectives that if the Roe v. Wade ruling is overturned, it would trigger automatic prohibitions in half the states of the country.
Faced with this threat from the Supreme Court, the Democratic Party says that the important thing is to vote for candidates who support abortion rights in the next legislative elections. But ever since the 1973 ruling 50 years ago, the Democratic Party has never attempted to establish abortion rights by law for the entire country, despite having held a majority in both houses of Congress for long periods.
In other words, the Democratic Party left this basic right — the right to decide about our own bodies — to a judicial decision of the Supreme Court, a body of nine unelected people. This right was left to the mercy of judges, most of whom are conservatives because they were nominated by whatever party was in power at the time of vacancies (three of them were confirmed during Donald Trump’s term).
We cannot let our rights remain in the hands of institutions such as the Supreme Court, or let them be used as bargaining chips by establishment parties, election after election.
The “green tide” in Argentina confirmed that the only effective way to fight for the right to legal, safe, and free abortion is to mobilize in the streets. That is why it became an example for movements in several countries in the region, including Chile and Mexico. Meanwhile, in Poland and other European countries, the conservative right wing is threatening to restrict this and other basic rights, as is happening in the United States.
Even after winning our demands, we must continue to mobilize to ensure that they are implemented, and to prevent conservative forces from trying to roll them back. Rights are won and defended in the streets.
That is why the international group Pan y Rosas (Bread and Roses) stands in solidarity with the movement being built today to defend the right to choose — a movement in which our comrades of Left Voice are actively participating — and with the enormous struggle ahead so that the right to abortion will finally be law.
SIGNERS
ARGENTINA
Myriam Bregman, National Deputy for the City of Buenos Aires for the Frente de Izquierda y de los Trabajadores — Unidad, Lawyer of CEPRODH — Centro de Profesionales por los Derechos Humanos (Center for Human Rights Professionals)
Nicolás del Caño, National Deputy for the Province of Buenos Aires for the Frente de Izquierda y de los Trabajadores — Unidad, leader of the Partido de Trabajadores por el Socialismo
Alejandro Vilca, National Deputy for the Province of Jujuy for the Frente de Izquierda y de los Trabajadores — Unidad, leader of the Partido de Trabajadores por el Socialismo
Alejandrina Barry, Legislator for the City of Buenos Aires for the Frente de Izquierda y de los Trabajadores — Unidad, daughter of the disappeared and leader of CEPRODH — Centro de Profesionales por los Derechos Humanos (Center for Human Rights Professionals)
Claudio Dellecarbonara, Provincial Deputy (Buenos Aires) for the Frente de Izquierda y de los Trabajadores — Unidad, Buenos Aires subway worker and member of the Executive Secretariat of AGTSyP (Asociación Gremial de Trabajadores del Subte y Premetro)
Natalia Hernández, Councilwoman of La Matanza, Buenos Aires, PTS/FITU
Julieta Katcoff, Councilwoman for the city of Neuquén, PTS/FITU
Laura Cano, Provincial Deputy (Buenos Aires) for the Frente de Izquierda y de los Trabajadores — Unidad, member of the provincial board of directors of Cicop (health)
Anabela Colli, Councilwoman (elected) of José C. Paz, Buenos Aires, PTS/FITU
Erica Seitler, Councilwoman (elected) of Moreno, Buenos Aires, PTS/FITU
Andrea D’Atri, leader of the Partido de los Trabajadores Socialistas, initiator of the Pan y Rosas women’s group
Marilina Arias, Teacher CABA, Member of the Board of Directors of Ademys
Luana Simioni, Internal Board of IOMA La Plata
Lorena Timko, Internal Board of Desarrollo Social La Plata
Graciela Frañol, grassroots delegate of ATEN Neuquén (teachers)
Nathalia González Seligra, from the CD of SUTEBA La Matanza (teachers of the Province of Buenos Aires)
BOLIVIA
Fabiola Quispe, lawyer and member of PRODHCRE (Profesionales Por Los Derechos Humanos y Contra la Represión Estatal), La Paz
Gabriela Ruesgas, economist and professor of sociology — UMSA, La Paz
Daniela Castro, anthropology graduate student — UMSA, La Paz
Gabriela Alfred, philosophy graduate, researcher, Tarija
Violeta Tamayo, political scientist and researcher, La Paz
BRAZIL
Letícia Parks, militant of Quilombo Vermelho
Fernanda Peluci, leader of the Sindicato dos Metroviários de São Paulo
Carolina Cacau, teacher Rede Estadual do Rio de Janeiro
Diana Assunção, base director of the Sindicato dos Trabajadores de la Universidade de São Paulo
Maíra Machado, leader of Apeoesp (Sindicato dos Professores do Estado de São Paulo)
Flávia Telles, coordinator of Centro Acadêmico de Ciências Humanas da Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Flavia Valle, teacher Rede Estadual de Minas Gerais
Val Muller, student UFRGS and activist of Juventude Faísca, Rio Grande do Sul
Virgínia Guitzel, trans activist, student of UFABC, São Paulo
CHILE
Natalia Sánchez, medical doctor and councilwoman, Antofagasta
Joseffe Cáceres, cleaning worker and union leader, Universidad Pedagógica, Santiago
Patricia Romo, president, Colegio de Profesores Comunal, Antofagasta
Pamela Contreras Mendoza, education assistant and former spokesperson, Coordinadora 8 de Marzo, Valparaíso
Nataly Flores, retail worker, director, Easy union, Antofagasta
Camila Delgado, retail union leader, Temuco
COSTA RICA
Fernanda Quirós, president, Association of Philosophy Students, University of Costa Rica
Paola Zeledón, call center worker, host of the program “Perspectiva de Izquierda,” La Izquierda Diario Costa Rica
Mónica Gallardo, student
FRANCE
Laura Varlet, railway worker at SNCF in Seine-Saint Denis, Paris region
Marion Dujardin, visual arts teacher in Paris region
Alberta Nur, student at University of Toulouse II le Mirail
Elsa Marcel, lawyer in Paris
GERMANY
Charlotte Ruga, nurse midwife at the München Klinik Hospital, Munich
Lilly Schön, economist, worker at the University of Technology and Economics, Berlin
Tabea Winter, student of social work, Alice Salomon University, Berlin
ITALY
Scilla Di Pietro, restaurant worker
Ylenia Gironella
MEXICO
Sandra Romero, paramedic in Covid-19 frontline care
Sulem Estrada Saldaña, basic education teacher
Yara Villaseñor, precarious service worker
Alejandra Sepúlveda, reinstated state worker, labor rights defender
Miriam Hernández, administrative worker at UNAM
Joss Espinosa, philosophy and literature student at UNAM
Alejandra Santamaría, precarious teacher, fired during struggle
Mariel Ochoa y Luanda Rodríguez, precarious state worker, fired during struggle
PERU
Cecilia Quiroz, leader of Pan y Rosas
SPANISH STATE
Josefina L. Martínez, journalist and historian, Madrid
Cynthia Burgueño, historian and education worker, Barcelona
Lucía Nistal, researcher, UAM, Madrid
Verónica Landa, journalist, Esquerra Diari, Barcelona
URUGUAY
Karina Rojas, social worker
VENEZUELA
Suhey Ochoa, student, Universidad Central de Venezuela
Workers, students, homemakers, and activists who make up Brot und Rosen, Germany; Pan y Rosas, Argentina; Pan y Rosas, Bolivia; Pão e Rosas, Brazil; Pan y Rosas “Teresa Flores,” Chile; Pan y Rosas, Costa Rica; Pan y Rosas, Spanish State; Bread and Roses, United States; Du pain et des roses, France; Il pane e le rose, Italy; Pan y Rosas, Mexico; Pan y Rosas, Peru; Pan y Rosas, Uruguay; Pan y Rosas, Venezuela
