Argentina eases access to 'morning after pill', broadening reproductive
rights
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[June 01, 2023]
By Anna-Catherine Brigida
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina will no longer require a prescription
to obtain emergency contraception, commonly known as the 'morning after
pill', the government said on Wednesday, broadening reproductive rights
in the traditionally conservative South American country.
The Catholic country and homeland of Pope Francis approved a law
allowing abortion up to 14 weeks in December 2020, part of a wave of
liberalizing legislation around the region, even as the United States
further north has seen abortion access tightened.
In the official bulletin, the health ministry wrote that the measure
would help avoid unintentional pregnancy by helping overcome
"difficulties of access to health services, contraception supplies, and
education" faced by some.
"This removes an important barrier to access," Valeria Isla, director of
sexual and reproductive health at the Health Ministry, told Reuters.
"People can have this method of contraception as support before an
emergency happens."
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Emergency contraception is a hormonal pill taken within 120 hours of
unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy by blocking the fertilization of
the egg, according to the World Health Organization, though it is more
effective within 12 hours.
The day-after pill is available without a prescription in at least 70
countries, including the United States. Most Latin American countries
allow emergency contraceptives, but some require prescriptions or have a
minimum age requirement.
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![](../images/060123PIX/health77.jpg)
Demonstrators in favour of legalizing
abortion protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, after the
U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Dobbs v Women's Health Organization
abortion case, overturning the landmark Roe v Wade abortion
decision, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Agustin
Marcarian/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Jun/01/images/ads/current/peasley_lda_051513.png) Vanessa Gagliardi, leader of
Argentine feminist organization Juntas y a la Izquierda said the
move will help "de-stigmatize" the morning-after pill in a country
where seven out of 10 adolescent pregnancies were unplanned,
official data show.
"For a long time it was thought to induce an abortion, which is not
true," Gagliardi said, referring to the common criticism of
emergency contraception from pro-life groups.
Argentine pro-life group DerquiXlaVida said the measure was worrying
because "the state is essentially orienting itself towards promoting
abortive measures."
"It's a way of recognizing the failure of pregnancy prevention, sex
education, and the responsibility and even persecution of authors
and promoters of sexual abuse," the group said in a statement.
(Reporting by Anna-Catherine Brigida, Editing by William Maclean)
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