Zika and reproductive justice

The Zika epidemic and abortion in Latin America: a scoping review

“…One study in our review reported a higher than expected demand for abortion medications (via channels outside of the formal healthcare system) in most of the Latin American countries that had issued pregnancy-related advisories in response to the Zika epidemic (50). Individual-level decision-making may also be heterogeneous across settings and personal circumstances: our review suggested that religion, education, socioeconomic status, and access to health care may play a role in the reproductive decisions of Zika-infected women, whether this decision concerns the termination or continuation of a current pregnancy, or the postponement of a future pregnancy [ 41 , 45 , 52 , 59 , 64 , 65 ]. Some articles discussed the possibility that some women could use revised or relaxed abortion regulations as an excuse to abort pregnancies unaffected by Zika, but most were more focused on women’s use of abortion as a strategy for risk management, given the fear of Zika-related malformations [ 45 , 50 – 52 , 59 – 68 ].…”

“…Although abortion was framed by most ( n = 31) of the retrieved articles as a reasonable option for Zika and CZS management, many articles noted that the procedure is often met with extensive and unconditional disapproval from the general population, decision makers, and health practitioners (we expand on this in the next section) [ 37 , 49 , 59 , 61 , 69 ]. Prevailing cultural and religious beliefs were often cited as a reason for this aversion [ 49 , 59 , 60 , 65 , 68 – 70 ].…”

“…Many of the documents returned by our search offered fairly extensive discussions of women’s autonomy and reproductive rights in the context of Zika/CZS. A common argument among publications in favor of expanded abortion access was that women have a right to their own bodies, and this self-ownership entitles them to make their own pregnancy decisions [ 45 , 51 , 52 , 60 , 65 ]. Although this point applies to all women, it may be particularly meaningful with respect to women of low socioeconomic position (SEP), who are more vulnerable to Zika and have limited access to information about family planning and contraceptives [ 37 , 59 , 64 – 66 , 71 ].…”

Discussões sobre os direitos sexuais e reprodutivos das mulheres após o surgimento do zika vírus no Brasil

“…Tal conduta está relacionada com o bem-estar físico e psíquico dessas mulheres, bem como as condições socioculturais em que estão inseridas essas famílias, fatores que podem motivar essa decisão. No entanto, caso desejem prosseguir com a gravidez, cabe ao Estado prestar total assistência à mãe e à criança no que se refere ao acesso integral à saúde e assistência social (Pitanguy, 2016;Stern, 2016).…”

Understanding the relation between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and adverse fetal, infant and child outcomes: a protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis of longitudinal studies of pregnant women and their infants and children

“…ZIKV disproportionately affects low-income populations residing in areas with poor living conditions 41. The impetus placed on women to delay pregnancy as a ZIKV control measure is complicated by the limited access to contraception and safe abortion in many of the countries and regions with the highest burden of ZIKV-related microcephaly 42 43. Identifying the risk factors for CZS is a global health priority and central for prioritising resource allocation for vector control and effective and targeted family planning interventions and for improving risk counselling for ZIKV-infected pregnant women or women planning a pregnancy in endemic areas.…”