A conversation on abortion with Ana Cristina González Vélez

- ­La Mesa was born 25 years ago when abortion was entirely banned in Colombia. At the time, no one spoke openly about the issue for fear of making things worse. The purpose of La Mesa was to open the conversation on abortion.

In 2006, a legal claim filed by Women´s Link Worldwide resulted in the legalisation of abortion in three specific circumstances: when the foetus has serious health problems, when the pregnancy resulted from rape, and when the pregnancy poses a risk to the woman´s health.

- This completely transformed the work of La Mesa. The phrase “a risk to the woman´s health” allows for broader interpretation, and we immediately began developing a strategy to implement that decision, Ana Cristina explains.

As a result, most abortions in Colombia were justified by the health indication.

Causa Justa is born

Through the implementation of the health indication, La Mesa uncovered and reported the various barriers preventing Colombian women from accessing safe and legal abortion services.

- Inequality and discrimination led to the prosecution and criminalisation of poor, young, and rural women. We realised that the existing legal framework was insufficient. After over a decade of experience, we had the necessary information to foster a more profound conversation. We had to shift our thinking.

Ultimately, this marked the beginning of Causa Justa, or Just Cause.

- We did not create Causa Justa with the purpose to file a legal claim; we created Causa Justa to spark a conversation on abortion and to change the existing paradigm that regulates it, Ana Cristina says.

- Abortion does not belong in the Penal Code. We reached out to various organisations for support, and that´s how this initiative transformed into a movement.

Causa Justa was officially launched in 2017.

- We had developed a comprehensive strategy that included arguments, political communication, educational efforts, and a legal component. When we approached different stakeholders, most of them doubted our ideas, especially because we were facing a conservative government at the time. That’s when I realised there would never be a “right time”. We needed to create our own momentum to make it the right time.

Ana Cristina visited FOKUS in Oslo in August 2024. Here with FOKUS´ Executive Director, Sylvi Bratten. 

 

The crucial 523 days

And so, they did. The Causa Justa movement was publicly launched in February 2020. Unsurprisingly, they were immediately met with resistance in the form of a legal claim asking for a total ban on abortion.

- However, we learned that there were judges in court who wanted to use that claim to advance rather than reverse abortion rights. So, we decided to file our own claim on our own terms, asking the court to remove abortion from the Penal Code. Criminal law should not regulate access to abortion services.

Ana Cristina elaborates:

- Most women who get abortions do so early in their pregnancies. However, the most vulnerable groups ­- women in conflict areas, victims of violence or rape, adolescents and young women, and rural women - are the ones who need access to abortion services after the 12^th or 14^th week of pregnancy. Why restrict access to abortion at a time when some women need it most?

- We requested the court to repeal abortion from the Penal Code, as its inclusion violates several human rights.  

It took 523 days for the court to reach a decision.

- During that time, we implemented our strategy. We did a lot of pedagogical work with politicians, media representatives, and celebrities We produced videos and established our own social media channels. We did a bunch of press work, ensuring we were featured in the media almost every single day during those 523 days. As a result, we gained increasing attention and resonance with our arguments.

 

We never take our rights for granted

– Ana Cristina González Vélez.

 

Women´s rights under pressure – what should we do?

Finally, in February 2022, the Colombian Constitutional Court decided to decriminalise abortion up to 24 weeks. It was a monumental victory for Causa Justa and the women´s movement in Colombia. However, after 15 years of experience, Ana Cristina and her colleagues knew that they could not rest on this decision.

- The very same day, we decided to continue working together as an alliance for the implementation of this decision and to protect it legally and politically, she states.

- We, the feminist movement in Latin America, know that nothing is guaranteed. We never take our rights for granted.

This brings us to the current global situation: the expanding anti-gender movement, accompanied by the potential grim outcomes of the American elections. Ana Cristina shares the concern and advises to look to Latin America and the South for lessons learned.

- We have decades of experience with building grassroot movements and engaging in difficult conversations within difficult environments, Ana Cristina notes.

- Most importantly, we must unite and amplify our voices. They who push the anti-gender agenda are unafraid to communicate their views openly. We, on the other hand, often worry too much about creating internal conflicts. This hesitation plays to their advantage, allowing them to occupy space that we could challenge.

 

Ana Cristina discussed Causa Justa and the work of La Mesa with norwegian Minister of International Development, Anne Beate Tvinnereim, at FOKUS´ event during Arendalsuka 2024. 

 

A lack of trust in women

Speaking of internal conflicts, Ana Cristina shares her insights on the ongoing debate regarding whether to extend Norway´s 12-week time limit on abortion.

- There is no scientific evidence to support the notion that abortions should not take place after week 12. Who determines these limits? They are a product of political negotiations and imply a lack of trust in women´s capacity to make moral decisions.

- I am pleasantly surprised that representatives from the left to the right on the political spectrum are united and committed to defend women´s human rights, especially regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights. This conversation you have in Norway right now represents an opportunity for you to ask yourselves how to do this even better.

In conclusion:

- Firstly, the right to abortion must be protected at the constitutional level. Secondly, we must transform the existing paradigm that regulates abortion; it does not belong in the Penal Code.