Amnesty International has warned that Argentina is being used as a "testing ground" for the rollback of abortion rights. Javier Milei's government is moving to reverse the landmark 2020 abortion legalization law, having halted the state supply of abortion pills and cut funding for contraceptives.
Milei Government's Abortion Rights Rollback Amplifies International Concern
Harriet Barber, a contributor to The Guardian, reported in a May 28, 2025, article that Amnesty International expressed serious concerns about the situation in Argentina. Prior to Javier Milei's presidential inauguration in December 2023, the Argentine government purchased abortion pills and distributed them for free through the public health system. According to data collected by Amnesty, over 166,000 doses of misoprostol and mifepristone-misoprostol combination packs (combipacks) were supplied in 2023. However, since the Milei government took office in 2024, not a single dose has been supplied. Responsibility for abortion pill distribution was quietly transferred to the 23 provincial governments.
Amnesty stated that these changes are "hindering women's access to abortion services." Indeed, more than half of the provinces have reported misoprostol shortages, and almost all provinces are experiencing shortages of mifepristone and combipacks. According to the Argentine Network for Safe Abortion Access, these changes are having the greatest impact in provinces governed by anti-abortion politicians or those with limited economic resources.
Project Mirar, which monitors the implementation of the abortion law, stated that provincial governments struggle to negotiate drug prices as effectively as the national government, and some provinces lack the budget to purchase the drugs at all. One report indicated that some women are even forced to purchase abortion pills themselves, at a cost of approximately $160 (around 220,000 Korean Won).
Connection to 'Project 25' and Part of a Global Backlash
Amnesty International warned that the reproductive health policies pursued by Argentina's far-right government are linked to 'Project 25,' an ultraconservative policy blueprint supported by the US Trump administration. Mariela Belski, executive director of Amnesty International Argentina, stated, "We believe that Argentina is being used as a 'testing ground' for several policies included in the Heritage Foundation's 2025 plan, especially those restricting abortion access and broader sexual and reproductive rights."
Belski added, "This is part of a global backlash aimed at dismantling the hard-won achievements of women." She noted that "similar phenomena are occurring in other countries, such as Hungary, under the leadership of Donald Trump in the United States."
Achievements of 2020 Abortion Legalization and Milei's Attempts to Reverse Them
Argentina legalized abortion in all cases up to 14 weeks of pregnancy in 2020, following massive protests known as the 'Green Wave' movement. Previously, it was only permitted in cases of rape or when the woman's health was at risk. Abortion legalization was considered a victory for women's rights not only in Argentina but across the entire Latin American region. From 2021 to 2023, 283,000 voluntary and legal abortions were provided in the public sector in Argentina, and abortion-related deaths decreased by more than half between 2020 and 2022.
However, since taking office, President Milei has dismantled dozens of public policies related to women's rights. He abolished the Ministry of Women, Genders and Diversity, drastically cut the budget for gender violence prevention programs, and sharply reduced financial support for contraceptives.
Milei has argued in speeches to high school students that abortion should be considered "aggravated murder" and at the World Economic Forum, he criticized feminists as "advocates of a bloody murderous abortion agenda." During his presidential campaign, he claimed that pro-choice advocates were "brainwashed by murderous policies" and promised to initiate a referendum to overturn the abortion law.
In February 2024, some lawmakers from Milei's 'La Libertad Avanza' party introduced a bill to repeal the 2020 abortion legalization law, but it was quickly withdrawn. However, in December of the same year, a senior government official stated that attempts to amend or repeal the law could be made again this year, signaling ongoing controversy.
Health Field Emergency: Increase in Unsafe Abortions and Confusion
In the conservative northwestern province of Tucumán, medical providers report an increase in unsafe abortions due to delays in abortion pill supply and misinformation. Adriana Alvarez, an obstetrician-gynecologist who provides abortion services at a public hospital in Tucumán, said that the supply of abortion pills has been repeatedly interrupted over the past year.
"Like years ago, we are now seeing unsafe abortions again. They are going underground," she lamented. "We are regressing." According to Amnesty, the number of requests for help from women who encountered obstacles to abortion access surged from 32 in 2023 to 120 last year, and 160 cases have already been reported from January to April this year.
Alvarez described "fear in the eyes" of women seeking care at her clinic. "They don't want their families to know, or they don't want to go to a specific hospital where people they know work," she added. She even mentioned that "there are still women asking if they can get an abortion," and "they are afraid of going to jail."
Medical professionals warn that the most affected demographic are the poorest and most vulnerable women in society, some of whom are susceptible to misinformation on social media. Soledad Deza, a lawyer and president of the 'Fundación Mujeres x Mujeres' (Women for Women Foundation), which helps women access abortions, said that changes in government policy have led to confusion among women about the legality of abortion.
"There is so much discourse that considers abortion murder that women don't know if they are exercising their rights or committing a crime," she pointed out.
Milei's anti-abortion rhetoric is leading to an increase in cases where doctors across Argentina refuse to perform abortions, according to medical professionals. Julieta Bazán, a doctor in Buenos Aires, stated that medical professionals, including ultrasound technicians, nurses, and doctors, no longer "want to guarantee" abortion rights due to discrimination and lack of resources. She emphasized that the "noticeable" shortage of abortion pills is a "violation of our law."
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