A hotline that will give Chilean women information they need to self-terminate a pregnancy was launched yesterday by a network of feminist organizations. According to Women on Waves, the hotline will give women information about Misoprostol, a drug available in Chile by prescription to treat gastric ulcers, to safely and effectively induce abortion.
Supporters at the hotline's launching, chanted "Contraception - so we don't need abortions. Safe abortions - so we don't die," reported the Valparaiso Times. Spokesperson Gloria Maira of the Women's Health Network of Chile said "We consider the right to a safe abortion a health issue."
Abortion has been illegal in Chile since 1989. There are no exceptions in the law to account for rape, incest, or the life and health of the woman. Despite this, Chile has one of the highest abortion rates in Latin America, with about a third of pregnancies ending in abortion. Hundreds of women die each year from botched abortions in the country.
Media Resources: Women on Waves; Valparaiso Times 5/29/09
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