https://doi.org/10.1177/0094582X241297582 LATIN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES, Issue 259, Vol. 51 No. 6, November 2024, 127–145 DOI: 10.1177/0094582X241297582 © 2024 Latin American Perspectives 127 Feminist Politics, Coalition Building, and Movement Legacies Abortion Rights Activism in Argentina Since the 2001 Crisis by Elizabeth Borland and Barbara Sutton Around two decades after Argentina’s 2001 crisis, the abortion rights movement flour- ished, becoming a powerful force against obstacles to reproductive justice in the country and mobilizing massive numbers of people from all walks of life to successfully demand the legalization of abortion. The National Campaign for the Right to Legal, Safe, and Free Abortion was launched in 2005, but the seeds for several of its key features were planted during the collective action surrounding the crisis. This study draws on 105 qualitative interviews with abortion rights advocates, feminists, and activist women in a variety of organizations in Argentina, collected in different stages between 2002 and 2020, to exam- ine how the events of 2001 influenced later organizing. The analysis reveals two central features of the Campaign that can be traced back to mobilization in the crisis: the legacy of a style of politics centered around broad coalition building with diverse constituencies that cross social categories; and lessons about how to advance focused and strategic goals while still engaging broad sectors of society. Broad organizing can be in tension with the nar- rowing of goals, yet grappling with this tension is necessary for inclusive and effective action. Argentina’s social movement experience shows how activists have managed to successfully advance the targeted cause of abortion rights without relinquishing their desire and efforts to “cambiarlo todo” (change everything) so reminiscent of the spirit of the 2001 uprising. Keywords: Abortion rights, Argentina, Coalition building, Reproductive justice, Social movements Elizabeth Borland is Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at The College of New Jersey. Barbara Sutton is Professor and Chair in the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University at Albany, SUNY. Both authors contributed equally to this article. They are grateful to the many activists who shared their experiences and perspec- tives, and to attendees who offered feedback at the 2021 “Sur, Pandemia y Después” Jornadas de Sociología (“South, Pandemic and After” Sociology Conferences) hosted online by the University of Buenos Aires. This article also benefitted from the thoughtful comments of Nayla Luz Vacarezza and two reviewers for Latin American Perspectives. Barbara Sutton is thankful for funding that supported aspects of the research featured here, including from the Center for the Study of Women in Society, the Stephen L. Wasby Dissertation Research Grant, and the Kenneth S. Ghent International Student Scholarship at the University of Oregon; the Woodrow Wilson Foundation (now Institute for Citizens and Scholars); the Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund; and the Faculty Research Award Program (FRAP B) at the University at Albany, SUNY. Elizabeth Borland is grateful for the funding she has received from The College of New Jersey, including the Gitenstein-Hart Sabbatical Prize. 1297582LAP XX X 10.1177/0094582X241297582LATIN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVESBorland and Sutton / FEMINIST POLITICS, COALITION BUILDING, AND MOVEMENT LEGACIES research-article 2024