"Regional Abortion Initiative" in Latin America
Latin America has some of the world’s most restrictive abortion legislations. Five countries in the region have imposed a total ban on abortion.
Despite this prohibition around four million abortions are carried out annually in the region. Out of these, 90 percent are unsafe. Over half a million women end up in hospital every year due to medical complications caused by unsafe abortions. Poor women are hit hardest.
Latin America is a relatively rich yet unequal continent, and the lack of safe abortions is largely a question of political will. For this reason, RFSU supports the International Planned Parenthood Federation/West Hemisphere Region (IPPF/WHR) through an advocacy project aimed at improving the access to safe abortion as well as changing current legislations.
Through the creation and strengthening of national partnerships between Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir (CDD) and IPPFs member associations, RFSU supports the Regional Abortion Initiative in six countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Uruguay. The project involves twelve organisations and will run for four years (2014 – 2017).