Azize Vargas, Yamila

La realidad del aborto en Puerto Rico: investigar para educar nbsp;- nbsp;[The reality of abortion in Puerto Rico: investigating to educate]
Azize Vargas, Yamila - 1994 - Encuentro de investigadores sobre aborto inducido en América Latina y el Caribe. Determinantes del aborto y factores asociados, Santafe de Bogotá (Colombia), Universidad Externado de Colombia, 95-105

Mots clés : accessibilité; avortement provoqué; contraception d'urgence; demande d'avortement; éducation au planning familial; enquête sur l'avortement; loi sur l'avortement [changements]; planification familiale; planning familial; programme
Pays / Régions : Amérique du Nord; Amérique latine; Caraïbe; La Caraïbe; Pays en développement; Puerto Rico

Résumé : Two salient features of abortion in Puerto Rico were the imposed legalization of abortion in this US territory in 1973 via the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, and the history of Puerto Rico in the 1960s as a source of illegal though safe abortions for hundreds of women from the U.S. In theory the abortion network was illegal, but in practice it enjoyed a certain air of legality. Because of Puerto Rico's particular abortion history, complications and deaths from abortion have almost disappeared from the national memory. 423 women interviewed in 1991 and 1992 in ten of the 13 abortion clinics in Puerto Rico provided information on differential access to abortion for the Women's Studies Project of the University of Cayey. The study found that large segments of the population remained unaware that abortion is legal and safe. The clandestine nature of abortion is reflected in the limited provision of information to the public, including absence of mention in the yellow pages. 93% of induced abortions in Puerto Rico occur in private clinics. An estimated 15,869 abortions are performed each year in private clinics by no more than 15 physicians. Ten of the 13 clinics are located in two of Puerto Rico's eight health regions, leaving large areas without services. Apart from distance, the average cost of US $225 for a first trimester abortion limits access for adolescents and women lacking financial resources. Puerto Rico has one of the lowest proportions of women under 20 seeking abortion in the world. Although only 4% of abortions in Puerto Rico occur after the first trimester, the proportion is 16% for adolescents, perhaps because of the economic and geographic obstacles they face in obtaining abortion. A comparison of abortion rates of Puerto Rican women with those of women from the Dominican Republic living in Puerto Rico underscores the importance of geographic and economic access in the timing of abortions. 59% of the respondents reported they had used contraception in the month in which they conceived, but two-thirds used rhythm or withdrawal. The case of abortion in Puerto Rico clearly demonstrates that formal legality is not always reflected in accessibility.

Notes : Español/espagnol/Spanish, nbsp;Abstract : Popline (http://db.jhuccp.org/popinform/basic.html) - PIP 100718