Hi,
During my current stay in Argentina, I’ve sat through a bunch of dinners where abortion was compared to murder. I have friends and extended family who believe that a person is formed at the moment of conception and that an embryo or a foetus should have the same legal value as a mother. Others believe that if you don’t want a pregnancy, it was your fault because you made a mistake when you had sex, and you should simply live with it. (Abortion in Argentina is legal in the case of rape, so these conversations were not about rape.)
Most recently, I spent a month in Bella Vista, a leafy suburb west of the city, where I came across these banners outside of people’s homes.
It may seem counterintuitive, but it’s quite a positive thing that I was actually discussing abortion around the dinner table and telling people how vile I thought these posters were.
I wear a green handkerchief around my bag and if you read my piece about the movement to end legal restrictions on abortion in Argentina, you will know that green has become the colour of the pro-choice camp.
Since the movement became mainstream in 2018, the word abortion is out in the open and has stopped being a taboo. I interviewed Argentinian novelist Claudia Piñeiro about this, and she said: “Today abortion is spoken of more naturally. Even if it is still illegal, it is no longer prohibited in the language.”
I am a deep believer that abortion should not be legally restricted, and I find it hard to argue with people that say that if you made a mistake, you should just live with it. But what is happening here in Argentina is giving me renewed energy to discuss issues and be open about my views.
Why is abortion part of the First 1,000 Days?
In reaction to the piece I wrote last week, a member asked why I decided to cover this issue if my focus is on the first 1,000 days of life. I did so because I believe that what comes before a baby’s conception or birth is just as important as those first 1,000 days.
The physical and mental health of those carrying a baby affect a child’s wellbeing. I believe that not giving people the option to choose whether they want to stay pregnant or not affects them. Of course, abortion is just one element in the process – though a very controversial one. There is so much work that needs to be done around sexual education and ending the taboo around sexuality, for example.
An update: if you read my piece, you may be wondering what happened to Samantha, the woman who wanted to terminate a pregnancy. She got a new ultrasound, and the misoprostol (the drug she took to end the pregnancy) was successful. She’s relieved that it all worked out.
Meet me in Buenos Aires!
If you are one of our members in Argentina, I will be holding an event this week in Buenos Aires, in conjunction with member-funded Red/ACCIÓN.
Reporter Ariana Budasoff and I will be interviewing Paola de los Santos, who is an expert in parenting and breastfeeding.
So, do let me know if you are interested in coming to see this in person.
In any case, you can send me questions here. And you will also get a summary of our conversation soon!
Continue supporting us!
It is Valentine’s Day this week, and my colleague OluTimehin put it best: “Love is a verb, and a spectacularly demanding one at that. It requires us to truly look at ourselves and demand more of ourselves, even as we accept that we are worthy, just as we are. It’s a bit of a mindfuck; that’s probably why so many people find it easier to just coast until celebrations like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or birthdays, then buy some chocolates or wrap expensive things in a red bow as a proxy for actually loving.”
For me and my colleagues, our jobs at The Correspondent are acts of love. And they are made possible by you, our members, who have decided to support us and our model of journalism.
You may have noticed that the first 1,000 days are not usually in the news, but at The Correspondent we believe they are important.
So if you want to keep reading about this and keep unbreaking the news the way we do, we need to know that this is how you feel. This is important for us because we need to be able to plan how our journalism will be funded in the future. So if you value the issues we cover and the way we reshape the news, then please consider signing up or renewing your commitment as a member right now.
My bosses Eliza and Rob did a good job at explaining it in this video:
I would be thrilled to be able to make my way through all the topics you have suggested I cover in 2020 and beyond. So I’d be excited if you could commit to us a little while longer.
Until next time,
Irene
PS My son was born a year ago, exactly. And next week, I am taking my first break since he was born. So you won’t get a newsletter from me, but you can imagine that I will be sleeping in and walking by a lake in Patagonia, recharging my batteries for the exciting work ahead!
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