Canada-based Women on Web, which offers advice and medication for women seeking abortion care in countries where the procedure is banned, has received an influx of requests for assistance from pregnant women in Latin American countries affected by the Zika virus, the Washington Post's "Morning Mix" reports (Miller, "Morning Mix," Washington Post, 2/17).
Background
The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne disease that has spread across Latin America over the past year. The virus is not easily diagnosed, and it does not have a cure or vaccine. It also could be linked to the birth defect microcephaly, a condition in which an infant is born with an abnormally small head and brain. The condition is fatal for some infants, while others experience permanent disabilities.
Officials in Brazil and Honduras have issued guidance recommending that women avoid pregnancy. El Salvador's recommendation is that women not get pregnant until 2018. However, many countries in Latin America restrict access to contraception and often ban abortion. In addition, women have been advised to protect themselves against mosquitos, but insect repellant can be unaffordable for low-income women.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak and its suspected link to a congenital condition in infants a public health emergency of international concern (Women's Health Policy Report, 2/2). Separately, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement directing nations affected by the Zika virus to remove bans on access to reproductive health care services.
Earlier this month, President Obama requested more than $1.8 billion to combat the Zika virus globally and in the United States (Women's Health Policy Report, 2/9).
Latin American women seeking medication abortion
Women on Web has received more than 1,000 email requests from pregnant women in affected areas seeking medication abortion, "Morning Mix" reports. According to "Morning Mix," some pregnant women seeking help say they already have tested positive for the virus, while others are concerned that they might have contracted it.
Rebecca Gomperts, founder of the group, said such emails from Brazilian women alone nearly tripled from 100 during the first week of December 2015 -- before the virus outbreak became public -- to 285 during the first week of February. The organization currently receives between 40 and 50 emails per day from women in countries affected by the virus.
"When Zika hit the news we saw an (immediate) increase in the number of requests from countries that are affected by Zika," Gomperts said, adding, "We think that is related to the Zika outbreak. We cannot explain it any other way." According to Gomperts, Women on Web is working with two universities to assess how much of the increased demand stems from the Zika outbreak.
Gomperts said, "Our worry is that these women will turn to unsafe abortion methods, while we can help them with a safe, medical abortion."
She noted that the emails likely represent only a limited proportion of women seeking abortion care in light of the outbreak, as there is limited Internet access in many of the affected countries. As a result, lower-income women, who have a higher risk of contracting the disease, are likely less able to access the Internet. "So the women that we [hear from], are only a few of the ones really affected by this crisis," Gomperts said.
Further, Gomperts noted that, for several years, customs officials in Brazil have blocked medication abortion drugs shipped by Women on Web from reaching their intended recipients.
According to "Morning Mix," Gomperts and other advocates are urging affected countries to ease restrictions on abortion care. "I haven't seen anything from the governments of these countries themselves that indicate they are reconsidering the restrictive laws because of this crisis," Gomperts said, adding, "The only calls that have gone out from health ministers is 'Don't get pregnant,' which is kind of an unrealistic demand I think" ("Morning Mix," Washington Post, 2/17).
