The international scientific community has mobilized in response to the outbreak of Zika virus to find competitive ways to curb the looming...
The international scientific community has mobilized in response to the outbreak of Zika virus to find competitive ways to curb the looming pandemic and fight to understand the health risks.
However, the reality of daily Zika has threat to women in the affected areas to live, not applicable note or similar action. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes, causes severe birth defects and takes precautions to take to avoid delays or avoid pregnancy. However, the World Health Organization and the governments of Latin American countries have remained silent on the options for women who are already pregnant or to prevent pregnancy is not should be able available.
While most of Latin America, abortion is illegal or restricted in certain very limited circumstances. These laws provide pregnant women with two options: self Source abortion or continue a pregnancy.
In a study we carried out the review of the responses of pregnant women in Latin America Zika and warnings relating to public health, he found that pregnant women may respond official warnings to avoid pregnancy, by taking matters into their own hands.
In countries affected by Zika, the warnings have issued against pregnancy, but where abortion is legally restricted, calls for drugs by abortion Women on Web is pulled. As applications have increased, as the desperation of women. The women described their fears about the risks of pregnancy and Zika your anxiety and outrage at the lack of support from the governments and their health systems. For many women, the decision to terminate a pregnancy was complicated dramatically due to the anxiety caused by neglected public health messages and lack of basic reproductive rights made.
As Zika the United States, women in the most likely to be most affected states, including Texas, Florida and Mississippi are facing a situation that is not so different from the women may be Brazil, Venezuela and Ecuador. Access to abortion in these US states was severely limited by a wave of legislation to close clinics.
The Supreme Court of the United States canceled a controversial law recently Texas abortion doctors requires who have abortions, privileges and hospitalization hospitals follow the same standards as to obtain outpatient hospital services. Although women do not suffer on access to abortion in the state other limitations, women with fewer resources are still disproportionately at risk of Zika be affected. They are to the least likely to access the highly effective contraceptive methods to prevent pregnancy, less likely to be able to access necessary medical care to diagnose and monitor Zika infection and less likely to be able to access a wide range of playback options, including abortion.
The World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the federal and the state can not afford to ignore the lessons to us in the experience of women in Latin America have learned trapped desperate situations for the growing pandemic virus Zika.
Dissemination of warnings for women who are pregnant or who have the means to prevent pregnancy is not irresponsible and unfair practice of public health policy. Health organizations and governments must act now to avoid the perpetuation of the same fear and injustice in the United States.
Amid the fear and confusion, women in the United States and Latin America are two messages are clearly. The first is that there is a need to provide a fast and accurate information about the risks of Zika virus during pregnancy. The second is that women need to be supported by the governments and the national and international health organizations to obtain safe legal abortions and, thanks to their own health systems. To remove on counseling to prevent pregnancy as a reproductive choice corrupt and to improve general health.
Abigail Aiken is an assistant professor at the School of Public Affairs LBJ at the University of Texas at Austin. Catalina Aiken is an academic clinical professor of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Cambridge E -. Mail them to araa2@utexas.edu~~V~~plural~~3rd and cema2@cam.ac.uk.
