Zika virus: Requests for abortion pills skyrocket in Latin America
Women on Web, an online abortion help service for countries where abortion is illegal, says it has been inundated with requests from mothers in Latin America.
The help service said it now receives between 40 and 50 abortion requests daily as opposed to the sporadic requests it used to get.
Would-be mothers making the request are said to be scared of giving birth to children with microcephaly, the mysterious condition marked by an undersized head and brain damage that has been linked to the Zika virus.
“Help!” one email begins. “Zika in Venezuela. I need abortion!”
Some of the women say they have already tested positive to the virus while others only fear they have contracted the disease, the independent reports.
Abortions are illegal in most Latin American countries including, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru.
The recent outbreak of the Zika virus has thrown the debate over abortion open again in the region.
The United Nations has already called on Zika-hit countries to loosen abortion restrictions.
“Because how can they ask those women [exposed to Zika] not to become pregnant but also not offer them … the possibility to stop their pregnancies if they wish?” a UN High Commissioner asked..
