In Mexico, each state has its own abortion legislation. Restrictions vary from state to state, although all are legal in cases of rape. And in countries where abortion is legal in very limited circumstances, it can be difficult to get the procedure, even for women who meet the legal criteria. In Paraguay, where abortion is only legal to save the life of the pregnant woman, the widely publicized case of the girl known as “Mainumby” is a clear example of the difficulty of obtaining the intervention: pregnant following rape at the age of 10, the young woman was forced to carry her pregnancy to term. Despite recommendations to the contrary by doctors and international human rights organizations. Between the two extremes, a whole series of conditions, restrictions and vetoes open, which deprive women themselves of decision-making power. For example: Bolivia and Colombia are the cases in the region that include the possibility of abortion in the most cases: when the viability of the fetus is not assured, in cases of rape, incest or when the life, physical or mental health of the woman is threatened. The list may seem long and complete, but the real difference is who©bears the burden of proof. In an open access law, such as Uruguayan or Cuban law, the norm assumes that women can decide at their discretion.
Colombian or Bolivian norms are based on the opposite assumption: before the interruption, the woman must prove that her case is related to one of the causes considered. And this list is even smaller in other countries: in Chile, where abortion was decriminalized only three years ago, it focuses on the inability of the fetus to live or the threat to ± woman`s life; in Costa Rica, this only counts if there is a physical health risk to them. In the most extreme contexts (Guatemala, Paraguay), women can only have an abortion if their lives are clearly in danger, which is almost tantamount to a de facto ban. Women and couples have the right to safely decide if and when to have children in order to reach the desired family size. In addition, preventing unwanted pregnancies requires the availability of high-quality and affordable complete contraceptives. And if, for any reason, women and girls experience an unwanted pregnancy, it is imperative that they have access to safe abortion services. For this to be possible, countries should not only broaden the grounds for the legality of abortion, but also seek its complete decriminalization and take the necessary steps to establish policies, monitor their implementation and thus ensure that safe abortion services are truly available and easily accessible. This includes the implementation of information systems that allow the collection of reliable and anonymized data, which in turn reflect the same public policies and reinforce them with evidence, while always respecting women`s privacy and confidentiality. Mauricio Claver-Carone was the first American to head the inter-American organization and was promoted by Trump. Paraguay, Venezuela, Guatemala, Peru and Costa Rica have some of the most restrictive laws and only decriminalize abortion when the life or health of the pregnant woman is in danger. Latin American countries or territories where abortion is decriminalized during certain periods of pregnancy are: Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, Dominica, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay and Venezuela, abortion is prohibited, but it is allowed to save the woman`s life in case of risk.
Abortion laws vary widely around the world: in some countries it is a personal decision, in others it is completely illegal, and in many countries abortion is only accepted in certain situations, such as fetal malformations or rape cases. Argentina now has an opportunity to protect the well-being of women, girls and families by legalizing abortion and paving the way for the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean to do the same. According to a recent Guttmacher Institute report, Abortion Globally 2017: Irregular Progress and Unequal Access, Latin America and the Caribbean is the region with the highest abortion rates and unintended pregnancies in the world, even though 97% of women live in countries with restrictive abortion laws aimed at preventing and punishing these procedures. Given the growing desire of women and couples to start smaller families, and given the high rates of unwanted pregnancies, abortion is a daily reality: about 6.5 million abortions take place each year in the Region; And the procedure is more common in married women than in single women. Nine Latin American countries legislate that abortion goes unpunished only under a number of circumstances. For example, if the life of the pregnant woman is in danger, if the life of the fetus is not viable or if the pregnancy is the result of rape. In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, ruling that the constitutional right to abortion no longer exists. In the future, abortion rights will be determined by states unless Congress acts. The fact that abortion is© forbidden does not mean that it does not exist.
Simply that it is done by those who can: those who have the resources and contacts to terminate their pregnancies safely, while other women risk their lives by resorting to it©more secretly or ending up in prison, sometimes after miscarriages or© difficulties of obstacles. This is the case in El Salvador, where 22 women are currently imprisoned and have been convicted or are on public trial for this reason, according to Marãa Luz Nóchez, a journalist specializing in gender-based©violence. In a lengthy report in El Faro titled The Privilege of Abortion, Nóchez documented how the country`s abortion ban created an underground market for unsafe procedures and made health a privilege. Inequalities in access to abortion can be observed in all countries where there are restrictions. In Argentina, it is estimated that more than 300,±000 abortions are performed each year. Women with economic and socio-cultural resources can afford safe abortions underground, but the poorest often do so in increasingly dangerous© conditions. About 40,000 people need to be hospitalized each year for complications. In addition to the question of whether the life of the pregnant person is in danger, Bolivia (art. 266), Brazil (art. 128), Chile (abortion law) and Panama (art. 144) allow abortion if the pregnancy is the result of rape or if the life of the fetus is not viable.
Ecuador limits the right to abortion for rape only to persons with intellectual disabilities (art. 150) and does not include the right to do so because of the unviability of the life of the foetus. Nevertheless, five Latin American countries prohibit abortion in all circumstances. These are El Salvador (art. 133), Haiti (art. 262), Honduras (arts. 126-132), Nicaragua (art. 143) and the Dominican Republic (arts. 317-318). Mexico is one of five Latin American countries, along with Argentina, Colombia, Cuba and Uruguay, to include abortion rights in its legislation.
The others allow it under a number of circumstances, and five others prohibit it in all circumstances. Hidden abortions in Madrid: There are public hospitals that perform abortions but are not notified Although five Latin American countries are considering an absolute ban on abortion in their penal codes, others are taking steps towards its legalization. The Chilean team conceded five goals and scored three in a pre-season rehearsal for South American Colombia. The most frequently repeated hypothesis for performing an abortion is when the woman`s life is in danger. This is reflected in the criminal codes of Costa Rica (art. 121), Guatemala (art. 137), Paraguay (art. 352), Peru (art.
119) or Venezuela (art. 435). But in other countries, such as El Salvador, such reforms seem distant. In 2018, it was proposed in the Central American country to amend laws and the penal code to allow abortion in certain exceptions, for example when the mother`s life is in danger or in other extreme circumstances, but the debate did not take place, which journalist Marãa Luz Nóchez accuses of conservative prison groups linked to religious organizations.