On November 28th, the pro-choice candidate Xiomara Castro became the first female president-elect in Honduras. Since the start of her campaign, Castro has been committed to  fervently defending  the rights of women and girls in all fields of society, by lifting them out of poverty, guaranteeing their sexual and reproductive rights, reducing gender based violence, removing the ban on emergency contraception and decriminalizing abortion for three indications.

Somos Muchas, Optio’s partner and a national platform working to advance reproductive rights in Honduras, has sent out an international alert, asking Human Rights Organizations to speak out against a reproductive rights hate speech campaign that was launched this month by the National Party of Honduras. Optio has signed onto the alert and is doing everything in its power to prevent this campaign from gaining traction. 

On April 13, 2021, Somos Muchas and Optio, together with 42 other organizations, filed a Constitutional Claim against the State of Honduras to decriminalize abortion when a mother’s life is at risk, in cases of sexual violence, and when a fetus is nonviable.

In July, Optio brought together 18 leaders of t reproductive health networks in an effort to improve their safety and expand on their skills and knowledge. During the week-long training, the reproductive rights defenders worked with experts in the region to:  1) share histories of advocacy from each Central America country, 2) develop protocols for helping women access vital reproductive health medicines and technologies in restrictive contexts, 3) establish cyber and mobile security standards, 4) and learn how to use portable ultrasounds to diagnose obstetric emergencies.

On April 13, 2021, Somos Muchas and Optio, together with 42 other organizations, filed a Constitutional Claim against the State of Honduras to decriminalize abortion when a mother’s life is at risk, in cases of sexual violence, and when a fetus is nonviable.