Lottery Approach to Health Care for LatAm Women Is Putting Thousands of Lives at Risk Josefina Salomon - Amnesty International
go to original March 7, 2016

Women demonstrate against a Texas law that presents obstacles to women seeking abortions (AP/Jonathan Bachman)

The lives of millions of women and girls across Latin America are at the mercy of “lottery-style” health care systems that prioritize religious doctrine and stereotypes over the lives of patients, Amnesty International said in a new report.

The study explores access to sexual and reproductive health care for women in eight countries. It reveals that access to basic rights such as contraception, safe abortions or sterilizations usually depends on the wealth of the patient and the personal and religious views of the health professionals or public officials.

“Tragically, for women across Latin America, receiving life-saving medical treatment depends on the good will of a health professional or the depth of her pockets. This outrageous and utterly illegal lottery-style approach to health care is putting thousands of lives at risk,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

“From El Salvador, where abortions are banned even when the life of a patient depends on it, to Mexico where women living with HIV face forced sterilizations, women and girls across the region are being abused by the very professionals and systems that are supposed to protect them.”

“The common pattern is that women and girls are not trusted to make their own choices when it comes to their sexuality, there is always somebody else making those decisions for them.”

“These absurd regulations and practices show that violence, which sometimes amounts to torture, and discrimination against women is not only tolerated but promoted by the State.”

Read the rest at Amnesty International

Related: The Disturbing Rise in Women Who Want to Know How to Self-Induce an Abortion (ThinkProgress)

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