Green Wave for Abortion Rights

Argentina, various locations.

Since February 2018 to January 2021.

The Green Wave (Marea Verde) emerged in Argentina as part of a broader feminist mobilization demanding reproductive rights and an end to gender-based violence. The movement grew out of the #NiUnaMenos (Not One Woman Less) protests that began in 2015 in response to the country’s high rates of femicide and violence against women. Over time, activists connected these issues to reproductive justice, arguing that access to safe and legal abortion is essential for protecting women’s health, autonomy, and dignity. The Green Wave gained global visibility in 2018 during Argentina’s congressional debate on abortion decriminalization. Massive demonstrations took place across the country, with more than a million protesters gathering outside Congress in Buenos Aires. Participants wore green scarves (pañuelos verdes) symbolizing the demand for abortion rights and carried the widely repeated slogan: “Sexual education to decide, contraceptives to not abort, legal abortion to not die.” Although the bill failed in the Senate in 2018, the mobilization continued, led largely by young activists, students, and feminist organizations who used both street protests and digital platforms to sustain pressure on policymakers. Their efforts contributed to a historic outcome in December 2020, when Argentina legalized abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy.

The primary goal of the Green Wave movement was to achieve the legalization of safe, legal, and free abortion in Argentina while expanding access to reproductive healthcare. Activists argued that restrictive abortion laws forced many women—especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds—to seek unsafe procedures, which posed serious health risks and contributed to preventable maternal deaths. Beyond legal reform, the movement sought to reshape public discourse around reproductive rights by framing abortion as a matter of public health, human rights, and gender equality. Activists also advocated for broader reproductive justice policies, including comprehensive sexual education and access to contraception. The movement ultimately succeeded, marking a historic milestone for feminist activism in the country and influencing similar movements across Latin America.

The mobilization around abortion rights in Argentina developed as one of the largest protest cycles in recent Argentine history, characterized by sustained public demonstrations and broad social participation, the protests were driven by civil society actors and feminist organizations that mobilized supporters through marches, public assemblies, and demonstrations around key legislative moments, particularly the congressional debates on abortion legalization.

Large gatherings took place in public spaces such as plazas and outside the National Congress, where activists held demonstrations, vigils, and collective actions. Protesters used symbolic elements—most notably the green scarf (pañuelo verde)—to visually identify support for abortion rights. These protests were part of a broader dynamic of movement and countermovement, as anti-abortion groups organized simultaneous demonstrations opposing legalization.

The mobilization expanded rapidly as the debate entered the national political agenda. Participation extended beyond traditional feminist organizations to include students, youth groups, unions, professionals, and other sectors of civil society. This broad coalition contributed to transforming what had previously been a relatively specialized activist issue into a massive social movement, capable of sustaining protest activity over several years and influencing public debate and political decision-making.

Gen Z feminist activists describe the struggle for abortion rights as part of a broader effort to challenge patriarchal power and expand autonomy over their own bodies and lives. In this narrative, abortion is framed not only as a legal demand but also as a process of social transformation that questions the historical control of women’s bodies by institutions such as the state and the church. Activists argue that fighting for legal abortion means building collective freedom, ensuring that girls and women can decide how to live their lives, and ending deaths caused by unsafe clandestine abortions.

Being in the streets is a political gamble. In Argentina, it has been understood that going out, marching, and demanding action from politicians has led to a head of state including a law on his agenda that allows for abortion in all circumstances.

This same strategy of social pressure can be applied to the rest of Latin America, where there are countries—like Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Haiti—that prohibit abortion in any case, and where women are imprisoned for having miscarriages.

The message shifted from “stay home” to “it only happens if we go out,” a slogan created by the Campaign to explain that the possibility of the law’s approval depended on the prominence of the green wave in the streets. Reuniting in “wave mode” was a hopeful feeling that still resonates.

The movement seeks to reach both policymakers and broader society, especially communities where abortion remains stigmatized or silenced. Feminist activists aim to expand public debate and bring discussions about reproductive rights into families, neighborhoods, workplaces, and marginalized communities. Through mobilization and public discourse, they seek to challenge conservative narratives and encourage society to recognize abortion as a matter of health, dignity, and human rights, while also building solidarity among women and gender-diverse people across diCerent social sectors.

External actors frequently framed the abortion rights protests as part of a major national political and social debate about morality, public health, and individual rights. According to the study, media coverage and public discourse often presented the mobilization as a largescale confrontation between two opposing social movements: feminist groups advocating abortion legalization and conservative sectors opposing it. This dynamic created a movement–countermovement cycle, in which both sides mobilized large numbers of supporters and attempted to influence political decisions and public opinion.

Supportive narratives of abortion rights protests were promoted mainly by feminist organizations, civil society groups, student movements, and human rights advocates. These actors framed the protests through activist networks, public demonstrations, and media engagement. Traditional media outlets, academic debates, and social media platforms also played an important role in disseminating information and shaping public discussion around abortion rights. At the same time, opposing narratives were promoted by religious institutions and conservative organizations, which mobilized supporters through religious networks, political advocacy, and media campaigns.

Yes. Young people burst onto the public scene, representing a wide diversity of identities and concerns, shaping a political rhythm and publicizing their demands, which fostered a process of awareness and social reflection at the national level. However, this did not remain solely at the macro-political level; feminist youth also succeeded in leading the struggles for the recognition of their rights and the eCective implementation of the Comprehensive Sex Education Law (ESI) in their immediate territories: secondary and university educational institutions. These struggles were directed against the very power structure that, under the adult-centric pressure of ecclesiastical congregations—both Catholic and Evangelical— opposes and obstructs these discussions within educational settings.

Competing narratives surrounding the Green Wave generated intense public debate but also strengthened the movement’s internal reflection and political development. Young activists often responded to opposition by deepening discussions about feminism, intersectionality, and reproductive justice within their own communities. Rather than weakening the movement, resistance from conservative and patriarchal actors pushed many youth activists to articulate more coherent and inclusive positions. For example, debates within student organizations led to stronger commitments to intersectional feminism, including the recognition of trans people within reproductive rights struggles. These processes helped expand the movement’s legitimacy and strengthened its ideological foundations.