Who can have an abortion in Latin America?

Who can have an abortion in Latin America ?

There are various positions on the subject of abortion, some are political, ideological, ethical and those that cause the most debate are religious. But if we delve into each one, it would generate an endless controversy; that is why we want to address the issue from the point of view of the opportunities and responsibility that women have regarding their reproductive rights to opt for a voluntary termination of pregnancy.

Let's look at three cases in which different women made informed and conscious decisions to have an abortion.

A life decision

Nelly is a single mother who works by the day cleaning houses in various places. She doesn't earn much, but she makes her income enough to pay the rent, her daily support and that of her two minor children. She is 43 years old and due to a failure in her contraceptive method, she now has a high-risk pregnancy due to her age.

Nelly says that her children, Steven, 10, and Jeffer , 7, are the main driving force in her life and she says that if she had the conditions, she would gladly have another child, hopefully a girl. But she has chosen to request voluntary termination of pregnancy for two reasons: One, the risks to her body from a pregnancy at her age; two, being pregnant affects her emotional health by worsening the difficult economic situation she finds herself in.

Mom by force

Camila is a university student. One Friday she went out to a bar with her friends. There she met Andrés, who was also with his group of friends. They left the place for one of their apartments to continue the party. Camila woke up the next day without clothes on in an unfamiliar bed. Two weeks later she confirmed that she had recently been pregnant.

Camila is a fifth-semester law student who knows her rights very well, so she did not wait long to request voluntary termination of pregnancy because it was rape.

A bitter surprise

Mayerli and Nicolás have been married for 7 years, half of them trying to have children. One day, she received the news that she was going to be a mother. Three months into her pregnancy, the obstetrician discovered during one of the tests a brain malformation called anencephaly, which causes the brain tissue to not develop and the probability of death before birth is very high, with the possibility of living after birth only a few hours.

Mayerli was clear that she wanted to be a mother, but she also knew the suffering that this would entail not only for her son but also for her and her husband. She opted to terminate the pregnancy and, after recovering from the pain later on, to continue trying later on.

Unwanted pregnancy, a common dilemma

Every day, many women, adolescents and non-binary people with the potential to become pregnant must face the dilemma of experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. According to WHO data , it is estimated that 1 in 3 unwanted pregnancies are voluntarily terminated and 73 million abortions occur annually in the world.

Even with this outlook, the right to decide whether to have sons or daughters when already pregnant is not permitted in a significant number of countries, especially in the southern hemisphere.

Abortion restrictions force people to resort to dangerous methods to terminate pregnancies. It is estimated that there are 25 million unsafe abortions worldwide each year . It is well established that bans do not prevent people from having abortions; restrictions only put women's health at risk.

For this reason, at Oriéntame we firmly defend the idea that every person who becomes pregnant should be free to choose whether they wish to take on the responsibility of raising their child, enter an adoption program, or request an abortion, under dignified conditions, with care, professional support, and respect for their decision, whatever it may be.

Don't be afraid to assert your rights, clear up your doubts and make informed decisions without putting your health or well-being at risk.

If you have questions or a special case that requires advice, please contact us via chat. At Oriéntame we will answer all your questions.