rAborta, the Abortion Robot has come to Mexico!

On September 28^th, International Safe Abortion Day, telemedicine abortion care and information service, Women on Web, will be joining local groups in a demonstration in Mexico City for the abortion robot campaign, rAborta.

Mexico’s Supreme Court unanimously deemed the punishment of abortion unconstitutional, coming into effect immediately in the state of Coahuila and effectively paving the road for legalization throughout the country. Abortion was illegal up until this point in most parts of the country except in cases of rape and in some areas, if a woman’s life was threatened.

The abortion robot is meant to symbolize women’s reliance on technology to meet their rights. The robot is operated in Mexico City where abortion is legal and then delivers abortion pills to the women in restricted states. By wielding the different legalities in different states, the abortion robot can meet the needs of Mexican women without breaking the penal code.

Mexico, like many countries, suffers a great imbalance of access for many of its citizens as some have legal access and some do not. For women living outside of the four Mexican states that have legalized abortion care, accessing safe abortion is difficult and requires support and accompaniment from other networks. The rAborta campaign aims to shed light on the importance of equal access for all and demand all Mexican states legalize abortion.

Time and Location

The rAborta campaign will launch 11 robots to 11 states throughout various parts of Mexico. The first will be launched at 10am on September 28^th and will continue throughout the day. A press conference will then take place the following day on September 29^th at 9am at El Museo de Memoria y Tolerancia.

Each robot will be controlled by a doctor in Mexico City and received by 11 states that have yet to legalize abortion care.

For information on the time and location in each state, and for a complete list of groups participating in the campaign, please see below.