Anticoncepción De Emergencia En America
Páginas: 25 (6052 palabras)
Publicado: 29 de octubre de 2011
La anticoncepción de emergencia en América Latina y el Caribe
Antonieta Martin
Population Council/Fronteras de la Salud Reproductiva, Oficina Regional para América Latina y el Caribe, Panzacola 62 - Escondida 110, Villa Coyoacán, 04000 México, D.F., México; teléfono: 5255-599998651; correo electrónico: tmartin@popcouncil.org.mx
Palabras clave: anticoncepción postcoital, planificaciónfamiliar, derechos de la mujer.
SYNOPSIS
Introducing the post-coital birth control method in the family-planning services of Latin American countries has not been an easy task. Catholic and other conservative groups with great influence in the political arena have time and again stopped it from being adopted as an alternative method and have even succeeded in having it removed from officialdirectives after formal acceptance by health authorities. The main objections are triggered by the erroneous supposition that "emergency contraception" pills are abortifacients. However, a large dose of cultural discrimination against women seems also to be involved. It has been extremely difficult to register dedicated products and make them available in drugstores and even more difficult todistribute them without charge at public health centers. They are hard to find, expensive, and unavailable to adolescents at risk for unwanted pregnancies and to most low-income women, especially in rural areas. Dissemination of appropriate information has been scarce and slow and there are still great numbers of people that do not understand how or why the method works. Brazil has been the only exception,as its open society has readily accepted this method of contraception.
The Latin American Consortium on Emergency Contraception founded in the year 2000 and its regional conference two years later had an important impact on the situation, as they encouraged the coordination of efforts by governmental and nongovernmental entities with those of women's groups to fight for sexual and reproductiverights. A number of studies have shown that the more people learn about emergency contraception, the more they find it acceptable and necessary, and radio spots and other media techniques have begun to educate the public about this matter. In spite of the many difficulties encountered, in the last few years several countries have made strides to include this method in their public healthguidelines. However, because of the powerful forces against it, accessibility and distribution of the emergency pills are not always implemented as planned and there are still many areas that require work. Details are given on the situation in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru.
La tarea de introducir en los países de América Latina los anticonceptivos quese usan después del coito, conocidos como anticonceptivos de emergencia, no ha sido fácil. Entre los elementos que han contribuido a limitar el acceso a la información y el uso de la anticoncepción de emergencia, se destacan la Iglesia católica y los grupos de derecha, cuya presencia se ha incrementado en años recientes en los países latinoamericanos. Estas entidades han puesto en juego todo supoder para impedir que el uso de esos anticonceptivos se incluya en las normas y políticas de salud nacionales. Por su parte, los grupos de mujeres y las organizaciones de la sociedad civil han sabido enfrentar esa lucha, que en algunos países ha sido larga y difícil. Una excepción es el Brasil, país representativo de una sociedad abierta, donde no hubo oposición a la introducción de losanticonceptivos de emergencia.
PROBLEMAS COMUNES RELACIONADOS CON LOS ANTICONCEPTIVOS DE EMERGENCIA
En los países de la Región de las Américas, la introducción del método de anticoncepción después del coito en los servicios de planificación familiar, tanto públicos como privados, se ha visto obstaculizada por una serie de problemas comunes. Por un lado, hay trabas y obstáculos para conseguir que...
Antonieta Martin
Population Council/Fronteras de la Salud Reproductiva, Oficina Regional para América Latina y el Caribe, Panzacola 62 - Escondida 110, Villa Coyoacán, 04000 México, D.F., México; teléfono: 5255-599998651; correo electrónico: tmartin@popcouncil.org.mx
Palabras clave: anticoncepción postcoital, planificaciónfamiliar, derechos de la mujer.
SYNOPSIS
Introducing the post-coital birth control method in the family-planning services of Latin American countries has not been an easy task. Catholic and other conservative groups with great influence in the political arena have time and again stopped it from being adopted as an alternative method and have even succeeded in having it removed from officialdirectives after formal acceptance by health authorities. The main objections are triggered by the erroneous supposition that "emergency contraception" pills are abortifacients. However, a large dose of cultural discrimination against women seems also to be involved. It has been extremely difficult to register dedicated products and make them available in drugstores and even more difficult todistribute them without charge at public health centers. They are hard to find, expensive, and unavailable to adolescents at risk for unwanted pregnancies and to most low-income women, especially in rural areas. Dissemination of appropriate information has been scarce and slow and there are still great numbers of people that do not understand how or why the method works. Brazil has been the only exception,as its open society has readily accepted this method of contraception.
The Latin American Consortium on Emergency Contraception founded in the year 2000 and its regional conference two years later had an important impact on the situation, as they encouraged the coordination of efforts by governmental and nongovernmental entities with those of women's groups to fight for sexual and reproductiverights. A number of studies have shown that the more people learn about emergency contraception, the more they find it acceptable and necessary, and radio spots and other media techniques have begun to educate the public about this matter. In spite of the many difficulties encountered, in the last few years several countries have made strides to include this method in their public healthguidelines. However, because of the powerful forces against it, accessibility and distribution of the emergency pills are not always implemented as planned and there are still many areas that require work. Details are given on the situation in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru.
La tarea de introducir en los países de América Latina los anticonceptivos quese usan después del coito, conocidos como anticonceptivos de emergencia, no ha sido fácil. Entre los elementos que han contribuido a limitar el acceso a la información y el uso de la anticoncepción de emergencia, se destacan la Iglesia católica y los grupos de derecha, cuya presencia se ha incrementado en años recientes en los países latinoamericanos. Estas entidades han puesto en juego todo supoder para impedir que el uso de esos anticonceptivos se incluya en las normas y políticas de salud nacionales. Por su parte, los grupos de mujeres y las organizaciones de la sociedad civil han sabido enfrentar esa lucha, que en algunos países ha sido larga y difícil. Una excepción es el Brasil, país representativo de una sociedad abierta, donde no hubo oposición a la introducción de losanticonceptivos de emergencia.
PROBLEMAS COMUNES RELACIONADOS CON LOS ANTICONCEPTIVOS DE EMERGENCIA
En los países de la Región de las Américas, la introducción del método de anticoncepción después del coito en los servicios de planificación familiar, tanto públicos como privados, se ha visto obstaculizada por una serie de problemas comunes. Por un lado, hay trabas y obstáculos para conseguir que...
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