Abortion in Latin America

Women’s reproductive rights are always a topic of concern in any underdeveloped country. In Latin America there are varied degrees of rights and health statuses among its female population. Abortion, for instance, is illegal in most regions. Governments and citizens are against the idea of terminating a pregnancy and view it as killing a living individual. This ban, however, has not alleviated the problem but only worsened it. Take the staggering abortion rates in Peru. According to an article published in the New York Times , women average two abortions over their entire lifetime. In Columbia, the rate does not fall far behind with one abortion over a lifetime. In the US where abortion is legal, the numbers are markedly lower with four out of ten women going through the procedure.

It is interesting to understand why these numbers are so high for an act that is illegal and frowned upon. Sex education is not necessarily taught in Latin schools. According to a paper published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization , sexual education has been met with much adversity due in part to influential conservative groups. Teenagers do not understand how the reproductive process works or how to use contraception; although in most of these countries the use of contraception, especially before marriage is considered taboo. Even in some Latin American countries where abortion is legal, such as Cuba, women who cannot afford to go to a private doctor seek under qualified individuals to perform their abortions. Often times this is met with devastating circumstances. The published paper in the New York times estimated that about 5,000 women die each year from complications that arise from abortions with over 100,000 being hospitalized. Countries where abortion is legal only under dire circumstances, such as rape or when the mother’s life is in jeopardy still make it difficult to terminate pregnancies. Most places refuse to even perform abortions because of religious reasons and many women do not report rape out of embarrassment.

However, there has been some progress in terms of abortion rights. Governments are realizing that criminalizing abortion is not solving the problem. They are now focusing on ways to improve women’s health and not basing it on their own moralities. Although legalization in most countries has not occurred, more women’s rights groups are being formed and more women are taking political positions where they are urging the government to legalize abortion. There has also been pressure from the United Nations for Latin governments to track their progress in terms of women’s rights.

Women’s reproductive rights are still an issue of great concern in developing nations. Many women go without basic rights because of their government’s lack of foresight. Recognizing different ways in which to improve rights can greatly alleviate the health of women throughout the world.