The 37th anniversary of the landmark United States Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade (January 22, 1973) spurred bloggers in Puerto Rico to express their opinions about a ruling that still sparks controversy. The decision made abortion legal in the United States, and it was extended to Puerto Rico due to the Island's political relationship with the US (Puerto Rico is a US commonwealth). Feminist bloggers from Puerto Rico, all of them pro-choice, joined to voice their thoughts on occasion of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. We have also included the opinion of bloggers on the other side of the debate. Feminist lawyer Verónica RT explains in her blog Mujeres en Puerto Rico [ES] that when it comes to abortion women's voices are still silenced: Sin embargo, y a pesar de que ya van casi cuatro décadas desde el reconocimiento de tal derecho, el aborto continúa siendo un tabú, las historias de las mujeres que han abortado son silenciadas, y el espacio retórico ha sido casi completamente ocupado por las corrientes fundamentalistas que utilizan la religión como justificación para subordinar a las mujeres…Nos corresponde, entonces, a nosotras velar por ser las autoras de nuestras propias historias, sin intervención indebida del Estado ni de nuestras parejas, ni de una sociedad aún machista. Después de todo, la historia de nuestra emancipación la escribiremos nosotras. Nadie más. Although more than four decades have passed since this right was recognized, abortion is still a taboo. Stories of women who have had an abortion are silenced, and the rhetoric space has been almost completely occupied by fundamentalists who use religion to justify the subordination of women…It is our task to be the writers of our own stories, without having the State or our partners’ intervening, nor a sexist society. After all, we are the ones who will write the story of our liberation. No one else. Photo by Punkassphotos. Republished under a CC Licence. Feminist blogger Nahomi Galindo also explains [ES] her position: La experiencia de la maternidad varía de mujer en mujer. Defender el derecho al aborto no significa obligar a las mujeres a realizárselo; por el contrario, implica que las mujeres que lo necesiten tengan la libertad de elegir sin ser perseguidas ni exponerse a morir en el proceso. Por eso es importante recordar un lema feminista que dice: “Imagina que te prohibieran parir. Ahora imagina que te obligaran”. En esta frase invita a reflexionar sobre cuán macabro es ejercer el poder sobre el cuerpo de la mujer sin incluirla en la decisión. Women experience motherhood in different ways. To defend the right of abortion does not mean to force women to have an abortion. On the contrary, it means that women who need an abortion should have the freedom to choose, without being persecuted nor exposing themselves to dying as part of the procedure. This is why it’s important to remember the feminist slogan that says: “Imagine if you were prohibited to have children. Now imagine that you were forced to.” This phrase invites us to reflect on how terrible it is to exercise power over women’s bodies without including her in the decision. Every woman should have the power to decide over her body and health. When we speak in public about abortion what we are asking is that women who need an abortion may have access to a free, safe and hygienic procedure, without being criminalized for it. We also claim for a responsible sexual education that includes information on pregnancy prevention not limited to the disastrous pro-abstinence campaign. In her blog Promesa Política [ES], Mariana Iriarte expresses her thoughts: Cuando me preguntan por qué, aún siendo madre, defiendo el derecho al aborto siempre contesto que lo defiendo porque tener un hijo fue mi decisión. El cuerpo de las mujeres debe estar en el ámbito de agencia de éstas, no en el Estado, la sociedad o la religión. Decidir qué hacer con tu cuerpo y controlar tu sistema reproductivo es un derecho fundamental que, de ninguna manera, debiera ser regulado por el Estado. When I am asked why I defend the right of abortion, although I am a mother, I always say it is because I decided to have a child. Women should be able to exercise agency over their bodies, not the State, society or religion. To be able to decide what to do with your body, and control your reproductive system, is a fundamental right that should not be regulated by the State. According to feminist blogger and Philosophy student Sahir Pujols [ES] people must first define when life begins: Reflexiones sobre la limitación de la mujer ante un evento como el de reproducir una criatura.