International

One year after decriminalizing abortion in Colombia

Photo: EFE

February 22 |

Organizations, collectives and women celebrated this Tuesday a year since the decriminalization of abortion up to 24 weeks of gestation in Colombia, after the claim of the feminist movement in the country that led the Constitutional Court to endorse this right.

The Campaign for the Right to Legal Abortion, a leading organization for this right, stated that they are celebrating “the first year of Ruling C-055 of 2022, which decriminalized abortion up to 24 weeks. This historic achievement leaves us with new parameters and norms that we must know in order to defend our right. We continue”.

The Share-Net Colombia platform, for its part, valued that “this historic ruling protects the life, dignity, health and rights of women, girls, non-binary people and trans men, who can now access abortion freely, safely, free of charge and without criminal threats”.

In the case of pregnancy exceeding 24 weeks of gestation, the current law allows access to abortion if one of the three grounds contained in Ruling C-355 of 2006 is met.

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Causa Justa por el Aborto celebrated “the power of the collective and the movement, which made possible the decriminalization of abortion”, while the slogans raised by women defend that “feminists are changing the world”.

“Our grandmothers gave us the vote, our mothers gave us the divorce and we gave them sentence C-055-22”, said the Colombian women a year after decriminalization.

Likewise, for other activists “migrant women can access abortion, regardless of our immigration status”, thanks to Causa Justa.

Senator María José Pizarro Rodríguez thanked the organizations and the women’s movement that accompanied the process “which guarantees the right to decide on our bodies and life projects”.

In supporting the resolution issued by the Colombian government on January 12 to avoid barriers to access to this right, feminist organizations, one year after the Court’s ruling, also warned of the challenges in guaranteeing this right.

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For feminist activist Jennifer Pedraza Sandoval, not all women have the necessary information, while some medical personnel still lie and claim that it is illegal.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.