Region: Caribbean

When abortion is a crime

This two-page fact sheet is adapted from a 2013 Ipas report investigating the impact of criminal abortion laws on women, their families and health-care providers in three South American countries—Bolivia, Brazil and Argentina. 

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Betraying women: Provider duty to report

The longstanding provider-patient confidentiality relationship is quietly eroding as an alarming number of medical staff across Latin America are reporting women and girls to the police for having abortions. Many countries now require, protect or encourage medical providers to breach their confidentiality duties when they treat women seeking postabortion care. This publication covers the three main ways health-care providers are compelled to breach confidentiality, based on the varying Latin American laws governing provider obligations on the issue of abortion. It also details how such laws impact both providers and women, and lists the many international bodies, declarations, consensus documents, etc. that establish standards for protecting patient confidentiality. Finally, the publication provides recommendations for international human rights bodies, governments and health-care professionals to protect women’s right to confidentiality as well as providers’ ethical obligation to uphold that right.

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Zika underscores need for reproductive justice for all women

In Latin America, government responses to the Zika virus have been weak, disregarding the best interests of pregnant women and those who may become pregnant. This brief outlines Ipas’s stance on governments’ responses to the Zika crisis and women’s sexual and reproductive health needs. The brief also lists measures states can take to protect women’s health and rights during the Zika outbreak.

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Who presents past the gestational age limit for first trimester abortion in the public sector in Mexico City?

This study sought to identify socio-demographic factors associated with presenting for abortion services past the gestational age limit (12 weeks), and thus not receiving services, in Mexico City’s public sector first-trimester abortion program. We found that women living in Mexico City and with higher levels of education had lower odds of presenting past the gestational age limit. Adolescents at every level of education have significantly higher probabilities of not receiving an abortion due to presenting past the gestational age limit compared with adults.

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Advocacy for access to safe legal abortion: Similarities in the impact of abortion’s illegality on women’s health and health care in Pernambuco, Bahia, Paraíba, Mato Grosso do Sul e Rio de Janeiro

This document gives a summary analysis of primary and secondary data documenting unsafe abortion and the impact of the criminalization of abortion on women’s lives and health and on health services in 5 Brazilian states: Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, Bahía, Pernambuco, and Paraíba.

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Y Usted que piensa

Esto es parte de una campaña de videos que busca desafiar la prohibición del aborto terapéutico en Nicaragua.

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Pienselo bien

La campaña Vai pensando aí de Ipas Brasil cuestiona las opiniones del público sobre la ley del aborto restrictiva en Brasil.

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Vai pensando ai

No Brasil, o abortamento é muito restringido, permitido apenas em casos de estupro ou para salvar a vida ou a saúde da mãe. As mulheres que desrespeitam a lei podem ser encarceradas por até tres anos. Ainda assim, a cada ano mais de um milhão de mulheres correm este risco; mais de 200 morrem e quase 250.000 são hospitalizadas com complicações. É justo? Vai pensando ai.
https://www.ipas.org.br

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Atrévete a pensar diferente: Anticonceptivos

Elaborados después de una investigación realizada con jóvenes en la Ciudad de México y en Tlaxcala, Atrévete a pensar diferente es una serie de tres historietas —Embarazo, Anticonceptivos, y Relaciones afectivas—que ofrecen información a jóvenes de cómo prevenir un embarazo, cómo utilizar y negociar el uso anticonceptivos y cómo mantener un relación afectiva con equidad de género. Las historietas invitan a las y los jóvenes a pensar diferente sobre su sexualidad, su salud y sus derechos.

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Atrévete a pensar diferente: Embarazo

Elaborados después de una investigación realizada con jóvenes en la Ciudad de México y en Tlaxcala, Atrévete a pensar diferente es una serie de tres historietas —Embarazo, Anticonceptivos, y Relaciones afectivas—que ofrecen información a jóvenes de cómo prevenir un embarazo, cómo utilizar y negociar el uso anticonceptivos y cómo mantener un relación afectiva con equidad de género. Las historietas invitan a las y los jóvenes a pensar diferente sobre su sexualidad, su salud y sus derechos.

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Atrévete a pensar diferente: Relaciones afectivas

Elaborados después de una investigación realizada con jóvenes en la Ciudad de México y en Tlaxcala, Atrévete a pensar diferente es una serie de tres historietas —Embarazo, Anticonceptivos, y Relaciones afectivas—que ofrecen información a jóvenes de cómo prevenir un embarazo, cómo utilizar y negociar el uso anticonceptivos y cómo mantener un relación afectiva con equidad de género. Las historietas invitan a las y los jóvenes a pensar diferente sobre su sexualidad, su salud y sus derechos.

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Zika virus is a matter of reproductive justice

From a public health and human rights perspective, what would be most helpful to women and communities significantly affected by the Zika outbreak is accurate and comprehensive information, and access to rapid diagnosis and counseling on the health risks. Furthermore, there needs to be a massive overhaul in national policies: Safe abortion should be a legal option for women.

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About Us

We work with partners around the world to advance reproductive justice by expanding access to abortion and contraception.

Our Work

The global movement for legal, accessible abortion is growing. Our staff and partners in countries as diverse as Bolivia, Malawi and India are working to ensure all people can access high-quality abortion care.

Where We Work

The global movement for legal, accessible abortion is growing. Our staff and partners in countries as diverse as Bolivia, Malawi and India are working to ensure all people can access high-quality abortion care.

Resources

Our materials are designed to help reproductive health advocates and professionals expand access to high-quality abortion care.

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Training resources

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For researchers and program implementors