Introduction

Latin America has historically been home to some of the world’s strictest abortion laws. 

But activists never stopped fighting. They adopted the green scarf as their symbol, and this gave rise to the movement’s name: La Marea Verde, or the Green Wave. 

In the past decade, this wave has swelled across the region. Against all odds, it has won a string of major victories—and given the world a new model for abortion reform.

Decades of history

The Green Wave is a grassroots movement with decades of history.

The Green Wave first rose to prominence in the streets of Argentina. During a 2018 congressional vote on abortion decriminalization, more than a million protesters flooded the capital. They wore green scarves that read: “Sexual education to decide, contraceptives to not abort, legal abortion to not die.”  

But its roots go back further. The green scarves form a link to an earlier activist movement, the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo. Known for their white scarves, the Mothers rose in opposition to Argentina’s 1976-1983 dictatorship. The group used the principles of human rights and bodily autonomy to fight against the regime’s violence. 

Later feminist activists adapted this human rights-based framework to other causes. In 2015, Argentina saw the rise of the #NiUnaMenos (“Not One Woman Less”) movement, a reaction to the country’s high levels of femicide. During the 2018 protests, it was this movement that grew into the Green Wave.  Then the scarves began to spread to feminist movements in other countries. In the years since, the Green Wave has become an international phenomenon, inspiring activists around the globe. 

Victories

The movement has increased abortion access across the region.  

The Green Wave’s power and size are reflected in its long list of successes. At both the national and the international level, its victories have impacted millions:   

• In Argentina, a 2020 law decriminalizing abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy. Before, Argentina had allowed abortion only in cases of rape or incest or to save the mother’s life.  

• In Mexico, a 2021 Supreme Court of Justice ruling that declared the absolute criminalization of voluntary abortion is unconstitutional, reaffirming women’s rights to equality, liberty, autonomy and dignity as human rights. 
• In Ecuador, a 2021 Constitutional Court ruling that expanded the exceptions for legal abortion, including in cases of rape. Previously, exceptions were only considered when the woman’s health or life was at risk, or in cases of rape for women with a mental disability.  
• In Colombia, a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling to decriminalize abortion up to 24 weeks. 
• In Mexico, a 2023 ruling by the country’s highest court to decriminalize abortion at the federal level.  
• From the United Nations Human Rights Committee, four 2025 rulings, holding the states of Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Guatemala accountable for the human rights violations of four Latin American girls—survivors of rape—who were forced into motherhood in the “They Are Girls, Not Mothers” cases. These set new human rights standards to make sure sexual abuse survivors have access to sexual education and safe abortion services. The rulings extend to 173 countries.  

Today, more than 28 million Latin American women of reproductive age live in countries with stronger legal guarantees for their reproductive rights.

Learning from success

There’s a lot to learn from the Green Wave’s success.

While abortion rights have advanced in Latin America, things have gone the other way in places like the U.S. Activists in these countries should look to the Green Wave as a model for organizing. What’s behind its success? Often in contrast to movements elsewhere, the Green Wave is:

• Inclusive: The Green Wave goes beyond a single country, political party, or organization. It’s about an idea: reproductive rights for all. By keeping it broad, the movement has built a stronger, wider base of support. 
• Interconnected: Abortion activists in Latin America have linked their work to the larger fight for human rights and social justice. They recognize that abortion rights are inseparable from racial, economic, and all other forms of equality.  
• Proactive:The Green Wave has achieved greater success by taking a proactive approach—providing rigorous, science-based information that counters stigma, stereotypes, and inaccurate information about abortion, while helping people understand that it is an essential health service that should be regulated as such—rather than primarily responding to anti-abortion messaging. 
• Comprehensive: The Green Wave pushes change on multiple fronts. Activists work across different levels of government, tackling local, state, and federal barriers. They also work in different arenas—legislation, judiciary, administration, communication, and grassroots street action, etc.—to drive reform and achieve social decriminalization of abortion

There’s still a lot of work ahead. In multiple Latin American countries, total abortion bans remain in place. And growing anti-rights movements threaten progress across the region and beyond.  But the Green Wave is growing too. Around the world, pro-abortion activists are taking inspiration from the movement’s success. In the face of widespread rights violations, building this kind of international solidarity will be key to fighting back. Change—as the Green Wave proves—happens when we work together.