Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida (GIRE), a member of the Campaign to Decriminalize Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the principal reproductive and sexual rights advocacy organization in Mexico, is responsible for translating and subtitling the documentaries in the Trilogy, FROM the BACK-ALLEYS to the SUPREME COURT & BEYOND, in Spanish and Portuguese. 

GIRE's goal is to help reproductive and sexual rights advocates develop effective strategies for national and regional movements with the benefit of "a well-informed vision of how reproductive rights have been won in other countries," as documented in CONCENTRIC MEDIA's films. GIRE's model for reaching and informing those advocates is, among other activities, based on the outreach project that Concentric Media has developed while working in tandem with  advocacy organizations across the United States.  Countries participating in the outreach include: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia,Chile, Ecuador, Dominican Republic,  Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela. 

The Campaign for the Decriminalization and Legalization of Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean was created at the 1990 Latin American Feminist Meeting in response to a workshop on abortion and the need for permanent monitoring of the issue. The Campaign is also known as the September 28th Campaign; chosen in commemoration of the abolition of slavery in Brazil, this important date is also known as "Free Womb Day" because of the important political changes that came with abolition, including freedom for the children of former slaves, and the corresponding freedom of women slaves from white owners who raped them in order to increase the number of slaves under their power. Under these circumstances, former women slaves' wombs were finally "free."  Yet throughout Latin America, women still face the challenge of achieving true freedom, and one of the greatest tasks is allowing women to make personal decisions about their own reproduction. This is why September 28 is important to reproductive and sexual rights advocates throughout the region, as we work to end illegal and clandestine abortions. 

The Campaign was coordinated by Catholics for Free Choice in Uruguay until 1993, GIRE lead the network for following two years, then CIDEM in Bolivia.  The Women's Health Network  of Latin America and the Caribbean (in Brazil) will take over in the year 2000.  This group has started to increase its support to the Campaign by facilitating communication between its members and the media. The principal objective is to create a culture and understanding of reproductive and sexual rights and, with that, achieve the decriminalization and legalization of abortion in these regions. The Campaign has concentrated on promoting debate, reflection and the sharing of experiences related to abortion both on regional and international levels. The right to abortion is a human right, and a serious problem of social justice and public health. 

For more information: gire@laneta.apc.org