Lack of information and delays: Amnesty International has identified obstacles to access to abortion in different parts of the country

Amnesty International reported – as part of the Global Day of Action for Safe and Legal Abortion on Wednesday 28 September – that women and pregnant people currently face obstacles in accessing legal termination of pregnancy, became law in the country on December 30.

A 9-month validity of law 27 610, one of the main obstacles to access documented by the agency is due to the lack of public information campaigns.

To this, they explained, is added the collapse of the 0800 of Sexual Health, the telephone consultation line on where and how to access voluntary (EVI) and legal (ILE) pregnancy. Faced with this situation, Amnesty International has therefore announced the launch of the “Right to abortion” website. disseminate rights and data on how to exercise them, as part of a federal communication strategy.

“With the approval of the abortion law, Argentina has succeeded in positioning itself as a flagship country in the region. However, an unknown right and in complex times is not exercised more than ever we must be present to guarantee the well-being of women and those able to bear a child who decide to terminate their pregnancy “, he underlined Mariela Belski, executive director of AI Argentina.

And to add: “Our contribution is therefore to provide training and information on what to deal with obstacles and how to report them, intervene in litigation to defend and guarantee the application of the law, as well as promote strategies of access to IVE / ILE in all corners of the country ”.

The body is currently monitoring the implementation of Law 27,610, actively supervising legal actions against it and intervening strategically in some cases.

In this investigation, the organization revealed that, de a total of 35 actions taken to suspend the legislation, 19 were declared inadmissible; six of these rejections are confirmed in second instance and only seven are still pending. None had a concrete impact on the validity of the law.

Although the tendency to reject initiated actions shows the weak permeability of the judiciary to attacks against legislation, Amnesty International has set up a contact channel so that people can report if they encounter obstacles to access the practice.

In Argentina, access to abortion presents an uneven and selective map in different jurisdictions. In many areas far from urban centers, sexual and reproductive health services from trained personnel are not yet available and there has been a lack of production of information ranging from dissemination campaigns to updated data that allow a diagnosis of challenges in the implementation of the law in all the countries.

This means that, according to this survey, depending on the social and economic conditions and the place of birth of a woman, she will be more or less likely to exercise her rights.

In areas far from urban centers, they reported, there is still no availability of sexual and reproductive health services and trained personnel. For example, after having carried out a mission in Catamarca, Amnesty International identified a highlight of these shortcomings in Andalgalá, where there is directly no health center that guarantees access. According to the testimony of the women, in some places abortion still occurs “in the shadows”.

In the south of the country, those who need to access the practice in the public health system of Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego, face obstacles: the regional hospital – the only one in the city where abortion could be practiced- does not guarantee it. law. Instead, dsystematically refers people to a primary care practice. Thus, those who require hospitalization must travel more than 200 kilometers to Ushuaia.

During the month of June, the agency sent requests for access to public information to all ministries of health in the country, requesting data on the measures adopted to ensure access to the CVI / ILE. .

Global Day of Action for Safe and Legal Abortion Actions

As part of the Global Day of Action for Safe and Legal Abortion, Amnesty International is organizing an event with prestigious international panelists to reflect on the challenges and lessons learned in implementing termination of pregnancy . They are two virtual sessions on September 29 and 30 with free access via the YouTube platform.

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