Brito de Martí, Esperanza

Hypocrisy and corruption
Brito de Martí, Esperanza - 1994 - Conveying concerns: women write on reproductive health, Washington D.C. (USA), PRB, 20-1

Palabras claves : aborto ilegal; aborto inducido; anticoncepción de emergencia; crítica; determinantes; educación en planificación familiar; factores demográficos; legislación; legislación del aborto; mortalidad; mortalidad materna; planificación familiar; población; política; política familiar; política social
País : America Del Norte; América latina; Latina America; México; País en desarrollo

Resumen : The easiest person to blame for abortion is the woman who has the abortion. This attitude singles women out, forces them to seek an illegal abortion, and threatens and eventually punishes them. If a pregnancy is terminated because a male partner does not take on his economic and emotional responsibilities, physically or sexually abuses the woman, or is addicted to a drug, it is the man who is truly responsible. When the couple cannot afford to support another child (as is often the case in Mexico), another child is detrimental to the health of either parent, or the fetus has known congenital effects and the couple chooses abortion, the couple is responsible. When a society denies women motherhood outside marriage, expels a pregnant teen from school, fires a working pregnant woman, and discriminates against a child of a single mother, the society is responsible for the abortion. Abortion belongs to all of us if the child is born in utter poverty. The government does not ensure the health, education, and well-being of citizens when it fails to provide enough child care centers and support services for working mothers, offer family planning information and services, and provide sex education. The abortion law in Mexico punishes the woman and the person performing the abortion. Since abortion is a crime, women seek midwives and medical students for an abortion or use knitting needles, acid, hangers, or dangerous herbs to induce abortion themselves. Rich women are above the law and can afford the best medical care to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. The House of Representatives refused to consider the 1980 bill on Voluntary Motherhood which called for legalization of abortion, women to decide the number and timing of children, and research on male and female contraceptives. The debate did lift the consciousness of many social sectors. Abortions are the 3rd leading cause of death for pregnant women in Mexico.

Notes : Inglés/anglais/English, nbsp;Abstract : Popline (http://db.jhuccp.org/popinform/basic.html) - PIP 099333