« No one should die or suffer from sexual and gender-based violence, » said Mabel Bianco during the recent SHE and Rights session.
Dr. Bianco is an Argentine physician and activist, a well-known feminist who fights for reproductive health and rights in Latin America. She has dedicated her career to advocating for women’s access to better healthcare and sex education. She is the founder and president of FEIM (Foundation for Studies and Research on Women).
« No more femicides. The lack of safe and legal abortion laws for all is also a form of violence; it violates the human rights of women, especially young women, » she added during the session, which was held in anticipation of the 80th UN General Assembly, Contraception Day, and Safe Abortion Day. The session brought together several speakers on the topic.
In her speech, Dr. Bianco emphasized that the right to a safe abortion is an integral part of sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice, and cannot be separated.
« We must fight for bodily autonomy, women’s agency, their right to decide, and the full range of sexual and reproductive health and rights, » she stated, stressing that no one should die or suffer from sexual and gender-based violence. For the activist, not having safe and legal abortion laws for all is also « a form of violence » because it violates the human rights of women, especially young women.
« I think the greatest success we have today as feminists is medical abortion. We must ensure that sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice, including the right to a safe abortion, are recognized when we talk about women’s rights in the context of the 80th United Nations General Assembly or Beijing+30 (30 years since the adoption of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and its Platform for Action), » she said.
She stressed that women’s rights must be respected in all countries: « This is not something we are ‘requesting to remain good buddies,’ but something we are demanding as a right. We are pro-life. Those who oppose the right to a safe abortion are against the lives of women and society, » explained Dr. Bianco.
An indefatigable activist for life and health, Dr. Bianco played a significant role in the 2020 legalization of abortion in Argentina. The tireless activist and founder of FEIM recalled the origin of « September 28th, » declared in 1990 as Safe Abortion Day in Argentina and other Latin American countries. The goal was clear: « to decriminalize abortion to put an end to the deaths and suffering of women. »
Since the 1980s, Dr. Bianco and her colleagues have denounced the restrictive laws that, under pressure from the Catholic Church, led to alarming maternal mortality rates. They understood that their advocacy had to be based on scientific evidence. They mobilized the medical community to demonstrate the direct link between these laws and the deaths of women.
The struggle continued on the international stage until the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, where activists, including Dr. Bianco, succeeded in having sexual and reproductive health and rights recognized as a whole, an indivisible concept. Several other gains were made thanks to the fierce battles fought by feminists, including Dr. Bianco.
However, the fight is not over. Dr. Bianco warns against recent setbacks, such as the abolition of the ministries dedicated to women. « We are pro-life, » she says, « Those who oppose safe abortion are against the lives of women and society. »
For her, the legalization of abortion is not an end in itself but an essential means to guarantee bodily autonomy, gender equality, and the human rights of all women.
Ambroisine MEMEDE
