Illusions of care: lack of accountability in reproductive rights in Argentina

Human Rights Watch just published a report that documents the many obstacles women and girls face in Argentina to get hold of reproductive health care services to which they are entitled, such as contraception, voluntary sterilization procedures, and abortion after rape.

The most common barriers to care include long delays in providing services, unnecessary referrals to other clinics, demands for spousal permission contrary to law, financial barriers, and in some cases outright denial of care. 

The report is available in Spanish and in English. 

The University of Buenos Aires in support of legalized abortion

The Upper Council of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) approved on Wednesday a resolution (with the vote of 23 of its 25 present members), by which it demanded a change in the current legislation and declared itself in favor of "the right to a free, safe, and legal abortion".

At the same time. it considered of "institutional interest" the activities that are carried out within the framework of the National Campaign for the Right to the Free, Safe, and Legal Abortion, a collective group of more than two hundred organizations that are working towards a normative change since five years ago.

The support for the resolution was wide.  All the Deans voted in favor, with exception of the Medical Faculty one (Alfredo Buzzi, who abstained).  The proposal was presented by a student representative, María Laura Casal.  The only person that voted against the resolution was a professor of the Faculty of Medicine, Rodolfo Pedro Rothlin.

"The right to decide does not only circumscribe to the right to the interruption of the pregnancy, but includes also the possibility to decide whether to be a mother or not.  It entails recognizing women as social subjects, as citizens and as capable moral agents that are able to decide if they desire (or not) to be mothers, the number of children that they desire to have and the temporary space among births", is one of the basis of the pronouncement stated by the Upper Councill.

The document is the result of a month of discussions in different Commissions.  The resolution took as precedents one resolution issued by the National University from Cordoba in favor of the legal projects that promote abortion legalization and another voted by the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Source: Pagina 12  

It is still of concern that the only representative that voted against and the only Dean that abstained are both part of the Faculty of Medicine, an institution that should have a key role in the attention and support of legalized abortion and in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies.

Abortion rights, the National University of Cordoba gave its adhesion to the bill

The National University of Cordoba analyzed the problems encountered with abortion, the main cause of maternal death in Argentina.

In June 2010, the Upper Counsel of the University declared its adhesion to the enactment of the Government bill 0998-D-2010, that enables the the voluntary interruption of the pregnancy, a project that is at the moment in the Camera of Representatives of the Nation waiting to be discussed.

Illegal affects fundamentally women with scarce resources and hides a wealthy business behind this secret interventions.

The report developed by the University, can be found here.

Assisted Conception for couples with HIV

Since June, the Hospital Francisco Muñiz has an integral service to assist conception for couples with HIV that desire to have children.

This project, novel in the state/public sphere in Argentina, incorporates assisted conception for mixed status couples –fundamentally those in which the male is the one who is infected. The project offers an opportunity to many people that up to now could not find answer in the public system of health.  Thus, the project enables an egalitarian access to practices of healthy conception is guaranteed to all the people that request it, independently of their economic condition.

The couples that approach the hospital will receive, in a completely costr-free form, orientation and attention on behalf of a team of specialists in diverse disciplines: psychology, molecular biology, biology, biochemical, fertility, gynecology, urology, andrology, legal attorneys and infectology.  All with a common commitment: to minimize the risk of infection of the non-infected member of the couple, reinforcing preventive care and to favor a pregnancy and a labor without complications.

The team of the Hospital Muñiz is coordinated by the doctor Liliana Redini.

Hospital of Infectious "Francisco Muñiz" Building 22 - ground floor Uspallata 2272 (Patrician Park)
Monday to Thursday from 8 to 12 hours, preferably the two members of the couple should attend.
E-mail: concepcionasistidamuniz@gmail.com

The National Guide for the Attention of Legalized Abortion is available for download

The New National Guide for the Attention of Legalized Abortion (2010 edition) is available for download on the web page of the Argentinean National Ministry of Health, clicking here. 

Alternatively, it can also be downloaded from WAW's Online Library, clicking here.

WAW was in Ituizango

Invited by the Association Civil "Mother Earth", WAW coordinated four workshops with women from the neigbourhood of Ituizango on gender and self-esteem.  The workshops were organised by the request of the women that participate weekly in the activities of "Mother Earth", in order to create a space where they could work on their self-esteem from a gender perspective, building jointly a group of reflection and action. 

The participants for the workshops grew from workshop to workshop, and after a month, the group has decided to continue with the meetings.  Many thanks to all and we hope to see you soon!

WAW's Course ""Tools to intervene in situations of violence. Level 1" has just ended

The first annual course Level I "Tools to intervene in situations of violence" that WAW offers every year has just finished. The objective of these courses on gender violence is to contribute and to think further on the theoretical tools and practices for the analysis and the intervention of family violence situations from a gender perspective.

The first course of the year 2010, began on 12th May and it was directed to educators, social workers, doctors, psychologists, health agents, operators common and members of the institutions that be in contact with the problems.

The course was designed and delivered by WAW's Specialized Team. The course has a six-week length, and takes place on Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the headquarters of WAW.

Since last year, the courses have a small cost in order to be able to cover the basic expenses of the activities that we develop.

We expect to be able to carry out a second course Level I during 2010, as we are at the moment defining the start dates. We will certainly publish the new date in the web page.

If you have any question, please do not hesitate on contacting us by mail, telephone or personally on Fridays from 3 to 5 p.m. Tel: 4489-3330. Mail: mao.aloeste@gmail.com