EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION IN ARGENTINA: GREY AREAS OF COMMON SENSE AND PUBLIC POLICY

PECHENY MARIO

Global Public Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice

Taylor and Francis

Año: 2010 vol. 5 p. 266 - 279

1744-1706

Despite a high number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions, emergency contraception (EC) is still not widely used in Argentina. In this paper, we discuss accessibility to EC (post-coital contraception, specifically hormonal EC). We argue that the main obstacles to EC are not economic or related to the organization of health services and systems, but related to misinformation and biases: in Argentina, potential users as well as health providers do not distinguish clearly between ordinary contraception, EC and abortion. This paper is based on a national study conducted in 2007 in order to assess accessibility to EC. Its objectives were to describe EC-related information and experiences of potential users and providers; to detect and describe the impact of the religious, ethical, and political-ideological perceptions of EC accessibility, as well as to describe institutional factors of accessibility.