Abortion Hotline Launched in Argentina

A hotline was launched in Buenos Aires, Argentina last week to give women information they need to terminate pregnancies using the drug Misoprostol. Created by Lesbians and Feminists for the Decriminalization of Abortion and supported by Women on Waves and the Coordinadora Juvenil por la Equidad de Genero in Ecuador, the hotline plans to give comprehensive information about the use of Misoprostol to induce abortions. If taken within the first nine weeks of a pregnancy, the pill causes the womb to contract and expel a pregnancy.

In Argentina most abortions are illegal except in cases of rape, incest, mental disability or to ensure the woman's safety. According to Women on Waves, approximately 500,000 clandestine abortions are performed in Argentina yearly. Unsafe abortion is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the country as approximately 100 women die from complications every year.

Chile, which has one of the highest abortion rates in Latin America, launched a similar hotline in May.

Media Resources: Women on Waves; Feminist Daily Newswire 5/29/09

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