The struggle for sexual and reproductive rights (SRHR) and family planning in Argentina has been marked by major achievements, but also by deep inequalities and recent setbacks that threaten the progress made. Despite a context of state disinvestment – including the current administration’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization, a decision made under the leadership of President Javier Milei – community organizations, health professionals, activists, and feminist networks continue to carry the agenda forward with creativity and strong local commitment.

Diana Cabral, a family medicine specialist and executive director of the Fundación Derechos Humanos, Equidad y Género (FUNDHEG), warns that one of the country’s biggest challenges is territorial inequality in access to SRHR. Although key laws exist, such as those providing comprehensive sexuality education and the legalization of abortion, “implementation remains very uneven.” Recent public policy decisions have worsened the situation: “the government defunded the sexual and reproductive health program, didn’t send contraceptives, and dismantled the national plan to prevent unintentional teenage pregnancy.” In this context, FUNDHEG proposes strengthening community networks and building alliances with social movements. For Diana, it is essential to reject paternalistic approaches: “we must pressure the State to take responsibility and fund public policies that guarantee SRHR as basic human rights, not as ‘favors’ subject to fluctuating budgets.”

Silvia Beatriz Casas, founder of the Asociación Civil M.A.N.U. (Mucho Amor Nos Une), an organization that offers a home and supports treatment adherence for children living with HIV, highlights the lack of awareness about SRHR within families and schools as a key barrier in Argentina. For her, the broader context of disinvestment severely limits the possibility of implementing public policies in these areas. “Even in important and relevant areas of health, resources have disappeared,” she warns. In this scenario, she emphasizes the need for international and regional collaboration to build collective responses that can sustain the future of family planning in Latin America.

Matías Alejandro Romero, director of Archivo VIH Sida, underlines the importance of coordination among youth, feminist groups, and social networks. With a long history of activism for the rights of people living with HIV and sexual and gender minorities, Matías laments that “there are no state bodies standing that respond” to family planning needs. He urges organizations to highlight the financial costs of preventable diseases, unplanned pregnancies, and the absence of sexuality education. “In the face of disinvestment, all we can do is review best practices, support each other as organizations and activists, and think of new strategies and allies that can support our projects.”

Despite the lack of resources, Argentina’s experience shows a resilient and committed social fabric that sustains the SRHR agenda even in adverse conditions. As Diana sums up, “the feminist movement has been key to placing SRHR on the public agenda, and has won rights through mobilization, popular education, and networked organizing.”

Amid crises, Argentina remains a reference point for its capacity for organization and resistance—but also a reminder that rights can be rolled back when institutional support is withdrawn. In this context, the collective approach and the defense of autonomy continue to be the guiding lights for those working to guarantee a dignified, just, and free life for all.