Las Libres

Las Libres is a feminist organization constituted in Mexico in 2000 with international reach, focused on guaranteeing the human rights of women in Mexico and the United States, with particular emphasis on destigmatizing the right to voluntary interruption of pregnancy. It was formed on November 7, 2000, as a citizen reaction to the modification of the penal code of Guanajuato, which in August of that same year eliminated the rape exception for access to legal interruption of pregnancy. Part of its strategy consisted of taking public space with demonstrations that lasted a month, with the aim of making the population aware of the implications of this modification. Ultimately the law was vetoed and the rape exception returned to the Penal Code of Guanajuato. Initially the organization focused on guaranteeing safe abortions to women and girls in Guanajuato who were victims of rape; however, they identified the need to accompany women who wanted to interrupt their pregnancies regardless of the reason. The organization became nationally known for having successfully freed seven women who, upon experiencing a spontaneous abortion, were wrongly sentenced to prison for homicide in the degree of kinship in the state of Guanajuato. Since 2022, Las Libres has led the first cross-border network between Mexico and the United States for accompaniment for pregnancy interruption. The organization operates in Mexico and the United States, combining legal defense, public advocacy, and direct accompaniment services. Its work sits at the intersection of reproductive justice, human rights law, and cross-border solidarity, and it is recognized as a key actor in the broader Latin American feminist movement for abortion rights.

Las Libres was constituted on November 7, 2000, as a citizen reaction to the modification of the penal code of Guanajuato, which in August of the same year eliminated the rape exception for access to legal interruption of pregnancy. Part of its strategy consisted of taking public space with demonstrations that lasted a month, with the aim of making the population aware of the implications of this modification. Ultimately the law was vetoed and the rape exception returned to the Penal Code of Guanajuato. Initially the organization focused on guaranteeing safe abortions to women and girls in Guanajuato who were victims of rape; however, they identified the need to accompany women who wanted to interrupt their pregnancies regardless of the reason. The organization became nationally known for having successfully freed seven women who, upon experiencing a spontaneous abortion, were wrongly sentenced to prison for homicide in the degree of kinship in the state of Guanajuato. Since 2022, Las Libres has led the first cross-border network between Mexico and the United States for accompaniment for pregnancy interruption. The organization has an international scope and focuses on guaranteeing the human rights of women in Mexico and the United States, with emphasis on destigmatizing the right to voluntary interruption of pregnancy.

• 2022

  Las Libres leads the first cross-border network between Mexico and the United States for accompaniment for pregnancy interruption.

• 2000

  Las Libres is constituted on November 7 as a citizen reaction to the modification of the penal code of Guanajuato that eliminated the rape exception for legal abortion.

• 2000

  The organization holds month-long public demonstrations; the law is ultimately vetoed and the rape exception returns to the Penal Code of Guanajuato.

A feminist human-rights organization providing legal defense, accompaniment, and cross-border solidarity for women seeking abortion in Mexico and the United States.

1. 1Las Libres – Wikipedia (Spanish)es.wikipedia.org
2. 2Las Libres – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Las Libres official websitelaslibres.org.mx