2023 Theses Bachelor's

International Human Rights Law, the Abortion Debate, and Online Activism in Argentina from 2015 to 2022

Bohn, Isabelle

This thesis examines the ways in which Argentina’s pro choice and pro life movements engaged with human rights in their online media presences. By understanding to what successes the movements employed human rights in their online activism, the goal of this work is to discover the implications of citing the international human rights framework in social media advocacy. This is complicated by the fact that abortion is not technically a codified right in the international human rights doctrine.

By analyzing the media content of seven pro choice organizations and seven pro life organizations, I venture to acknowledge why engaging with the language of international human rights law online was so impactful in Argentina among women’s organizations during the country’s abortion debates from 2015-2022. Looking directly at how the pro choice and pro life organizations engaged with international human rights law, I am able to conclude that the pro choice movements’ decision to explicitly confront both the international legal framework and the domestic one was significant to their success in legalizing abortion in Argentina in 2020.

Furthermore, my thesis argues that because both the pro choice and pro life movements engaged with human rights, the international human rights framework has a valid place in womens’ rights movements. This thesis has larger implications when it comes to understanding how the international human rights framework resonates with domestic audiences and can be employed in future online activist fights.