A legislação sobre o aborto nos países da América Latina: uma revisão narrativa

Abstract

Introduction. Throughout history, several movements in favor of women’s sexual and reproductive health have taken place. They have problematized the legalization of abortion, defined by the World Heal‑th Organization (WHO) as the interruption of pregnancy at maximum gestational age of 20‑22 weeks and fetal weight of 500 grams. Objective. The present study sought to identify how abortion is legally discussed in Latin America, exploring the diversity of the theme. Method. Therefore, a narrative review was carried out using the keywords “abortion and (law or bioethics)” in the databases of LILACS, SCIELO and PUBMED, from 2011 to 2016. Results and Discussion. There were found scientific articles about 18 from the 20 countries considered as part of Latin America, with the exception of Paraguay and Venezuela. The results showed that some countries and/or states have less restrictive laws, like Cuba, Uruguay and the Federal District of Mexico. In contrast, others consider abortion as an illegal practice under any circumstances, as Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. The other countries found on this review decriminalize abortion only in specific situations, such as rape, fetal malformations incompatible with life, life risk or health risks for the pregnant woman. Conclusion. The theme of abortion legalization still generates lots of ambivalences in Latin America, opposing, in one hand, religious vi‑sions, fetal life’s rights and fear of abortion trivialization, and, on the other, initiatives of preserving women’s lives and sexual‑reproductive rights by reducing unsafe abortion and maternal mortality rates.