Abortion in Cuba

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Abortion in Cuba is legal and available upon request,[1] which is rare in Latin America due to widespread Catholic influence- it is unlikely that the rest of Latin America will soon follow the Cuban model as politicians, social commentators, and church officials all tend to oppose abortion, citing reasons of morality and religion.[2] For example, abortion is illegal in Chile, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. Dr. Sosa Marin of the National Commission for Family Planning has stated: "the right to abort is the right of women and their partners".[3]

History and Context[edit]

Abortion in Cuba used to be limited only to cases of harm to either mother or fetus and to cases of pregnancy resulting due to rape. While the nature of this law was highly restrictive, the law itself was not strictly enforced, which meant that abortion was still accessible even before its legalization.[4] Furthermore, prior to full legalization which covered costs of abortion, private fees were relatively low, allowing most middle- and upper-class women to afford private abortions when necessary, outside of the law. However, as private abortions climbed in numbers, as did mortality rates among women seeking then-illegal abortions. It was this spike in mortality rates that sparked the 1965 liberalization of legal abortion, no longer restricted to extreme cases and to be carried out by public doctors free of charge rather than by private practitioners. [4]

The pre-revolutionary fertility rate in Cuba was extremely low in the context of its Latin American peers, dropping as low as 26 per 1,000 people in 1958. Post-revolutionary Cuba experienced a significant baby boom, which peaked in the mid-1960s. Following this increased fertility rate alongside the 1965 decriminalization of abortion, legal abortion rates in Cuba rose dramatically. By 1977, the Cuban population reached 420 legal abortions per 1,000 people- the highest legal abortion rate worldwide during the 1970s.[4]

Current Legal Status[edit]

In hopes of curbing high mortality rates among Cuban women attempting self-termination of pregnancies, the Cuban government decriminalized abortion in 1965.[5] The fight for legalization was furthered in 1979, when legislation was passed to make abortion more easily accessible by Cuban women. Since the passing of this legislation, abortion in Cuba has remained easily accessible as well as free countrywide due to Cuba's national public healthcare system.[5]

Late-term termination counts as anything after 10-weeks and requires a formal evaluation to be conducted by a committee of gynecologists and a psychologist.[6] Contrary to other countries in Latin America, government restrictions on abortion are not rooted in reasons of morality or Catholic obligation. Abortion policy is instead based on risk factors for the woman seeking pregnancy termination. It is believed that, aside from physical complications and death, women who have multiple abortions risk infertility.[6]

Methods[edit]

Throughout history, naturally occurring herbs and plants have been used to induce abortion and end unwanted pregnancies in Latin America. Other common practices of inducing abortion outside of the law include the insertion of objects such as sticks and catheters into the uterus in order to rupture the amniotic sac in order to trigger termination. However, these methods of abortion are highly unsafe and often result in serious complications for the woman.[2]

Cuba's data shows a lack of correlation between use of contraception and abortion rates. Other Latin American countries (such as Chile) have observed decreased hospitalization rates related to unsafe abortion complications following the popularization of contraceptive use. Cuba, however, simultaneously sees high contraception use and high rates of abortion.[2] One possible explanation for this lack of correlation could be the high failure rates of contraceptives in Cuba, which rose as high as 20% failure in 1987.[2]

Society and Culture[edit]

Other contraceptives and methods of birth control are still very commonly used in Cuba in addition to abortion as a means of fertility regulation.[5] While abortion remains a highly popular method for fertility regulation in Cuba, the IUD and oral contraceptives are the most popular preventative measures against pregnancy among Cuban women.[4]

In Cuba, low birth rates are commonly associated with the idea of modernity, and this has been made possible by the availability of safe abortion throughout the country.[6]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Cuba". United Nations. 
  2. ^ a b c d Paxman, John M.; Rizo, Alberto; Brown, Laura; Benson, Janie (1993-01-01). "The Clandestine Epidemic: The Practice of Unsafe Abortion in Latin America". Studies in Family Planning. 24 (4): 205–226. doi:10.2307/2939189. 
  3. ^ Marti, Jose. "Abortion and Infanticide in Cuba". pop.org. 
  4. ^ a b c d Hollerbach, Paula E. (1980-01-01). "Recent Trends in Fertility, Abortion and Contraception in Cuba". International Family Planning Perspectives. 6 (3): 97–106. doi:10.2307/2947598. 
  5. ^ a b c Bélanger, Danièle; Flynn, Andrea (2009-01-01). "The Persistence of Induced Abortion in Cuba: Exploring the Notion of an "Abortion Culture"". Studies in Family Planning. 40 (1): 13–26. 
  6. ^ a b c Andaya, Elise (2014). Conceiving Cuba: Reproduction, Women, and the State in the Post-Soviet Era. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813565200. 


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