Latin American Abortions
Latin America and Caribbean nations are estimated to have some of the highest numbers of abortion worldwide, despite also having some of the most restrictive abortion laws. Most of these countries allow abortion only to save a woman's life, and a couple of them prohibit abortion under any circumstances. As a result, abortion is a main cause of maternal mortality, constituting nearly 50 percent of maternal mortality in some countries and 21 percent in the region as a whole. Most abortion procedures are unsafe; an average of one unsafe abortion occurs for every three live births. (Ipas website). A number of different human rights organizations are working with the citizenry, state health departments, and pro-abortion organizations to change the existing laws. In Latin America millions of abortions are performed annually, normally in unsafe and covert conditions. The procedure is done secretly, sometimes by the pregnant woman herself, because they are illegal. Chile and El Salvador impose criminal penalties for abortion in all circumstances including the safety of the mother's life. Nearly every other country in the region has extremely restrictive abortion laws that include exceptions permitting abortion in certain narrow circumst
The economy in Argentina has so worsened since December 2001 that 50 percent of the population now live below the poverty line. It also reduced maximum sentences for the crime of abortion and established procedures for obtaining an abortion in cases of rape. However, their approach is facing growing resistance from those who recognize the importance of women's control over maternity, sexuality and reproduction. For example, in Venezuela an ideological war is being waged between conservative Catholic elites and local grass-roots progressives. These groups know that barriers to legal abortion, especially, take a harmful toll on women's health and lives (Clarke, 2006, p. It is extremely opposed to any changes in restrictive abortion laws and quickly brings in the top leadership whenever the subject of abortion comes up for debate. The ruling leaves Chile and El Salvador as the only countries in Latin America where abortion is still completely illegal. The conflict is not only between the citizenry and the church, but between the churches as well. The Catholic Church is the strongest opponent for changing the laws in Latin America. In Guatemala, abortion is permitted only to save the life of the woman. Previously, all abortions were completely banned, and it was estimated that as many as 400,000 illegal abortions took annually. Therapeutic abortion had been legal in Nicaragua for at least 100 years prior to the new legislation.
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Acceptance Essays
