AcompañantAs by Mahé Elipe

In the context of the changing legislation on the decriminalization of abortion in Latin America and the United States, a new generation of young women is emerging who have taken on the task of accompanying their fellow women through the abortion process, totally free of charge and in a spirit of sisterhood, based on empathy, emotional support and care among women. They are called "Acompañantas". In Latin America, a handful of these women are building a network of mutual support and providing follow-up during all stages of the abortion process. Women with different profiles: mothers, students, sisters, or even activists, all united by one and the same cause: to be able to choose over one's body. Like the green glitter found in feminist demonstrations, they sneak and shine only by acting in the shadows. The predominance of the church and conservative political groups has led to the development of a black market for Misoprostol (the drug used to perform an abortion), and abortions are often performed clandestinely. Misinformation and guilt-tripping of young women who want to have an abortion often result in traumatic experiences for them. It is thus together and hand in hand that they will live this ordeal, where sharing and reciprocity makes no difference between the one who accompanies and the one who interrupts her pregnancy.

Thus, behind their lively and sparkling aspects, the strength of the claim that the "Marea Verde" has allowed Latin America to reflect on what the right to decide implies in terms of health and care. And by the glow of these feelings of love and compassion, they provide a safe space, legal advice, emotional support, but more than ever remind all girls that they are not alone. Today, the Companions is attempting to expand transnationally, especially after the overturning of the abortion ruling in the United States.

By tracing the journey of several Acompañantas in different Latin American countries, we understand the contextual differences that each one has to face. From this comes the spark of the pro-abortion struggle that these women try to bring to light every day in the public square. The militant interventions that we find in the street, has therefore inspired the plastic intervention of the images, coming here to irradiate their actions, as a way to pay tribute to them. Here glitters the green and shines the color of hope, that of a flourishing struggle, where everyone reaches out to each other.

Plastic intervention with green...edras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.

Plastic intervention with green glitter (emblematic color of abortion in Latin America via the "marea verde" ) on photo print. The photo represents the Cross of a church in the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila. This border city with the United States has a predominance of church and conservative political groups.
October 21, 2021, Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.

Blanca, 32 years old acompa&...1, Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico.

Blanca, 32 years old acompañanta in the city of Monclova, a municipality in central Coahuila, one of the most populated and developed in the state.
In 2016, she needed an abortion and could not find information or options to do it safely. She was finally able to terminate her pregnancy at a private clinic in her community. After this experience, she became involved in the women's networks in Saltillo and began training as a peer counselor. She attended workshops with women from other states and even from countries such as Colombia. Many of the workshops were open and virtual.
October 23, 2021, Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico.

Prior to the SCJN ruling, in th...edras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.

Prior to the SCJN ruling, in the state of Coahuila, anyone who terminated a pregnancy was subject to a penalty of up to three years in prison. This criminalization, coupled with social prejudices based on religious beliefs and a very conservative view of women's sexuality, was challenged in the SCJN investigation. Despite this environment, as of 2018, in Coahuila, several young women began to organize to provide abortion counseling on a voluntary basis and completely free of charge. They started among friends and then by word of mouth but always in hiding.
October 20, 2021, Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.

Meeting of several caregivers f...21, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

Meeting of several caregivers from the city of Saltillo and its surroundings, during a discussion group. Accompaniment has emotional implications for them and in addition to training, they also need spaces for listening and care to allow them to reflect on how to support each other.
October 25, 2021, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

Leon was about to turn 17 when ...dras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.

Leon was about to turn 17 when she first helped one of her friends perform an abortion. At that time, five years ago, she had searched the Internet for information because access to information was not as widespread as it is today. Soon after, León began studying medicine, which allowed her to gain more knowledge to help young women.
Several groups of accompanying women have gynecologists, doctors and even lawyers among their members. When this is not the case, they seek outside advice. Especially in cases that can be complicated by the number of weeks of gestation and the moment when abortion via Misoprostol is no longer an option.
October 20, 2021, Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.

The struggle for access to safe...21, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

The struggle for access to safe and free abortion continues in the streets. Like here via the intervention of pro-abortion feminist activists in the "Mother's Square" of the city of Saltillo. Such an act of "provocation" can be dangerous for the activists, who must act at night to avoid being identified.
October 25, 2021, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

Blanca acompañanta a...1, Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico.

Blanca acompañanta and her sister embracing.
Blanca works in culture and pedagogy. In addition to her working hours, Blanca combines her work with that of accompaniment, which she does thanks to the support of her sister Reyna. As a mother of a 3 year old child, her sister's support is essential to allow her to have the space to carry out the accompaniments. When she has to accompany a young woman, it is her sister who takes care of her son.
October 22, 2021, Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico.

Counselor in her room giving ad...dras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.

Counselor in her room giving advice to a young woman wanting to proceed with an abortion. Depending on each woman, the process is followed up remotely (mostly virtually due to the pandemic) and when necessary, the follow-up is done in person (either because the woman herself requests it or because the case is considered too complex). When the accompaniment is done in person, a safe space is found for the woman who wants to terminate her pregnancy (at a friend's house, in a hotel room, or sometimes even in the house of the accompanier).
October 20, 2021, Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.

In January 2022, several aborti..., Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico

In January 2022, several abortion providers' collectives from northwestern Mexico, Guanajuato, and Mérida met with organizations in Texas in an effort to facilitate access to safe and free abortions for women and pregnant people across the border in the US. This was a response to a new Texas law, effective September 2021, that restricts the right to choose. The accompanying women form a real network on the whole Mexican territory and try today more than ever, to widen in a transnational way in particular following the cancellation of the judgement authorizing the abortion in the United States.
January 21, 2022, Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico

Misoprostol is a drug used to t...es." 29 November 2022.

Misoprostol is a drug used to treat stomach ulcers, but also to induce a safe and effective medical abortion. In El Salvador, abortion is illegal and often dangerous, with prison sentences of up to 40 years for women who have them. Despite this, women's rights organizations are working to make misoprostol more accessible to women seeking to end their unwanted pregnancy. This misoprostol pad can represent hope for Salvadoran women seeking control over their own bodies."
29 November 2022.

Two women exchange a green ribb...ijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Two women exchange a green ribbon, the color of abortion rights. Abortion escorts and midwives work in a complementary way. The midwives attend to the women, most of whom are immigrants, and when one of them wants an abortion, they refer the case to the abortion escorts, who handle the rest of the process.
29 September 2022, Playas Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Two women from the Bloodys coll...ijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Two women from the Bloodys collective walk on the beach next to the city's border wall. Crystal stated on the occasion of the 28th "We are a city where midwives and accompanists have been providing access to sexuality, to a life of information, free of institutional violence and free of violence towards women's bodies".
29 September 2022, Playas Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Three sisters, from Ramos Arizp...Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico.

Three sisters, from Ramos Arizpe, an industrial and manufacturing city, are abortion assistants, who counsel women and accompany them throughout the abortion procedure. They act in a clandestine way by helping them to obtain the necessary medication for a termination of pregnancy, which is difficult to obtain in this conservative region, where the predominance of the Church has led to the development of the black market of Misoprostol (medication used to perform an abortion). None of them is over 25 years old; they combine their activism with university studies and work. Their activism is not something public in their community although they have the support of their parents in their actions. October 19, 2021, Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico.

Mix, 28, learned that she could...21, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

Mix, 28, learned that she could accompany other women who decide to have an abortion when she met a feminist activist from Monterrey in 2018. She came to her and feminism through her therapist, who talked to her about the issue and introduced her to the Monterrey activist. After that meeting, she started looking for more information. She got involved. And soon after, she made her first accompaniments.
October 25, 2021, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

("We pray for you and ...21, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

("We pray for you and your baby")
Provida" activist during the "40 Days for Life" campaign (an initiative that began in Texas in 2004 and is replicated in different countries around the world) in front of the Saltillo Children's Hospital. Coahuila is a conservative state in which the movement of people who call themselves "pro-life" is strong. The influence of these groups is no secret. Organizations such as the Frente Nacional por la Familia (FNF), Cristo Vive, representatives of the Catholic Church in Coahuila, and political groups from the National Action Party (PAN) constantly appear in the media to react on abortion issues.
October 18, 2021, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

Members of the collective &...gota, Colombia, 11th March 2023

Members of the collective "las Parceras" in an apartment in downtown Bogota In Colombia, abortion used to be strictly forbidden, but in 2006 the Constitutional Court authorized abortion in three circumstances: when the woman's life or health is in danger, in cases of rape or incest, and in cases of serious fetal anomaly. Then in 2021, in a context of liberalization of abortion in Latin America, Colombia made a historic decision to decriminalize abortion up to twenty-four weeks. This decision is a major step forward for women's rights in a predominantly Catholic country. Despite this, women seeking to end an unwanted pregnancy can still face obstacles and stigma. In Bogotá, the group of "las parceras" (the godmothers) offers emotional support and medical advice throughout the abortion process.
Bogota, Colombia, 11th March 2023

Crystal belongs to the Bloodys,...border, Baja California, Mexico

Crystal belongs to the Bloodys, a group of escorts in Tijuana that was created six years ago. The escorts provide information and assistance, either in person or online, to women who want to have a medical abortion. Within Mexico and sometimes in the U.S., they also deliver or send the medication needed to terminate the pregnancy.
26 September 2022,San Ysidro International border, Baja California, Mexico

On International Safe Abortion ...uana, Baja California, Mexico.

On International Safe Abortion Day, a pro-abortion activist holds a feminist flag over one of the busiest spots in Tijuana, near the border crossing that separates Mexico from the US.
September 28, 2022, San Ysidro international border, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

C. and M. are Acompa&ntilde...nia, Mexico, September 29, 2022

C. and M. are Acompañantas in the city of Tijuana on the border between Mexico and the United States. They are part of the Bloodys collective born in 2016, which allows Mexican women but also migrants and women living on the other side of the border -where abortion is considered illegal-, to get the medicine and be accompanied in a presential or virtual way during their processes of pregnancy termination.
Playas Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, September 29, 2022

In a bar in the center of Tijua...ijuana, Baja California, Mexico

In a bar in the center of Tijuana there are different activities programmed to celebrate the International Safe Abortion Day. The bar is decorated for the occasion and, among other things, on the tables there are jars with green candies that resemble the medicine used to get at-home abortions. The candies are green which symbolizes the color of abortion.
28 September 2022,Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Plastic intervention on a photo...21, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

Plastic intervention on a photo of the city of Saltillo, Coahuila.
During the last three years, it is mainly young women who have organized themselves to form abortion support groups, especially in the central city of Saltillo. The organization involves training on the procedure of medication abortion, knowledge of what can be done in case of emergency, the procedure of medication abortion, knowledge of sexual and reproductive rights, and the linking of collectives in different parts of the state. A real network to guarantee that women can exercise their right to decide.
October 19, 2021, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

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