In a concerning development, Amnesty International has warned that Argentina is becoming a global "testing ground" for the rollback of abortion rights. This comes after President Javier Milei’s government slashed state funding for contraceptives and halted the free distribution of abortion pills through the public health system. Before Milei took office, the government distributed more than 166,000 doses of abortion-related medication annually. However, that number dropped to zero in 2024, as the responsibility was quietly handed over to individual provinces many of which now face severe shortages or lack the financial resources to procure the drugs.
This new policy has particularly affected regions with limited resources or anti-abortion leadership, forcing many women to buy the medications themselves at high prices, sometimes reaching $160. "Project Mirar," which monitors the implementation of abortion laws, noted that provinces struggle to negotiate prices as effectively as the federal government did, creating major disparities in access to safe abortion services.
Amnesty International has linked these hardline policies to the "2025 Heritage Plan" of the conservative Heritage Foundation in the United States, which is backed by the Trump administration. According to Mariela Belski, Executive Director of Amnesty International Argentina, the country is being used as a platform to export agendas aimed at dismantling sexual and reproductive rights, as part of a global conservative backlash also seen in the U.S. and Hungary.
Since taking office, Milei has dismantled the Ministry of Women, Gender, and Diversity, cut funding for gender-based violence prevention programs, and described abortion as "aggravated murder." He accused feminist movements of promoting a "bloody, murderous agenda." During his campaign, he promised to hold a referendum to overturn the 2020 abortion law a law won through a massive feminist protest movement known as the "Green Wave."
In the conservative province of Tucumán, Dr. Adriana Alvarez reported that delays in medical supplies and widespread misinformation have led to a resurgence in unsafe abortions. Women now arrive at clinics fearful and unsure whether abortion is still legal highlighting a growing climate of distrust and anxiety among the most vulnerable segments of society. Amnesty International said it received over 160 complaints from women seeking help in accessing abortion services between January and April 2025, compared to just 32 in 2023.
This new reality has also led to a decline in the willingness of some medical professionals to perform abortions, due to lack of resources or fear of discrimination. Dr. Julieta Bazán from Buenos Aires described the shortage of abortion pills as a "clear violation of the law," stressing that political change is having a deep impact on people’s perceptions many women no longer know whether they are exercising a right or committing a crime.