Abortion is outlawed in Brazil and it carries a penalty of up to three years in jail, but the Zika virus outbreak in the country is prompting some women to break the law just to make sure that they do not give birth to a baby with microcephaly.
Marina Leite had her 28-week pregnancy terminated in February after she had trouble speaking and breathing. Her doctors also told her that she had too much amniotic fluid, an indication that her baby had severe deformities possibly caused by the Zika virus. Because her health was jeopardized by her pregnancy, Leite’s abortion was considered legal, The New York Times reports.
However, there are some women who have illegally terminated their pregnancy even if they have not yet confirmed that their babies were affected by the Zika virus. The outbreak of the
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Last year, the Ministry of Health said there were around 100 women who sought medical attention for failed abortions for every one woman who received legal abortion.
In December, a Brazilian health official advised women to postpone their plans for pregnancy because of the Zika virus outbreak. The announcement markedly increased the demand for illegal abortion pills. There were more than 26,000 abortion pills confiscated by the Brazilian Customs that month alone, compared with just 9,000 for the whole 2014.
Meanwhile, the Zika threat has given birth to a U.S. debate over the push for birth control and abortion for pregnant women likely infected by the virus. Dr. Christine Curry, an obstetrician at the University of Miami, says preparing for these discussions is important in light of the situation, CBS Local details.
Experts think that the situation in Brazil will also happen in the U.S. when the temperature rises and mosquitoes multiply. However, they do not expect the Zika virus outbreak to have the same intensity in the U.S. as it has in the Latin
Zika virus is a disease cause by the Aedes species. Not only is it affecting people in Brazil, it is also going to affect the people going to the Olympics this summer. But Zika might not be what they think it is… Because the Zika virus in Brazil is spreading so quickly, it is causing people to react to it drastically. Since some people think Zika is dangerous, they are more hesitant in making their choices.
Jasmine Garsd, reporter for Npr.og, reports on abortion rights, but more specifically, vis-à-vis the Zika virus plaguing Latin America. She is especially interested in the United States’ role in providing or denying aid to countries such as Brazil, where the Zika virus has proved threatening to the general population. What complicates the situation further is that the Zika virus is particularly harmful to pregnant mothers and their unborn babies. In fact, the Zika virus has been linked to certain birth defects such as brain damage and small heads. Hence, the emergence of the Zika virus adds another dimension to the abortion debate.
Approximately 68,000 women die annually due to unsafe abortions(), the majority of these are from countries where it is illegal. This goes to show that outlawing abortion doesn’t decrease the number of abortions, it just increases the amount of unsafe ones. Abortion is currently legal in U.S., but pro life movements are making it harder and harder to r23 January, 2017
This BBC News article discusses the spreading Zika virus in Spain. Sources in Spain have broken the news that the first diagnosed case of a pregnant woman contracting the virus had occurred in the country of Spain. The article discusses how this case, as well as most other cases currently diagnosed in Spain, had been contracted outside of the country in regions where the virus is rampant. The article also talks about the widespread fear that the Zika virus is the cause of some birth defects, specifically underdeveloped brains in infants.
Many people claim that the mother should have a right to choose what happens to her own body, but this does not take into account that she is also choosing what happens to another person's body, even if it is not yet fully formed. On the other hand, the fetus is within her body and she produced it, she should have the right to terminate it as she does to remove any other part of her body.
The growing concern of the Zika outbreak that originated back in 1947 Uganda in monkeys and later crossed over to humans in 1952 has now reached several countries. These outbreaks are occurring in Brazil and reportedly more than 7,000 people have been infected from mosquito bites. On February 1, 2016 the World Health Organization declared the Zika a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. To combat the issue Louisville activated the “Zika Response Action Plan, which provides guidelines for preparation and response to the virus in the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW) jurisdiction” (ZIKA Response plan, 2016). The plan being used by Louisville demonstrates the prevention and mitigation being executed
al 2015). Previous to the implementation of HB2, during an average year, between 100,000 and 240,000 women tried to self-induce abortion in Texas (Grossman et. al 2015). This statistic was only expected to increase after the lower court upheld HB2, as conditions were predicted to be similar to “conditions previous to Roe: only the richest and well off women [would] be able to travel and access safe abortions and everyone else [would] have no options—will likely turn to try and abort the baby on their own” (Colorlines 2016). It is imperative that this never happened as some of the dangers of self-induced abortions include medication that poses as an “abortion pill,” that is poison and can cause severe damage to the women, as well as the most infamous method of the “coat hanger abortion,” which often times lead to septic shock (Abortion Clinics). The mortality rate for women that go into shock after attempting to self-induce abortion, can be as high as forty percent (Saultes et. al 2009). Overwhelmingly, these undeniable facts lead to the conclusion that the lower court’s decision is completely unjust as many women were in danger of physical suffering, or even
There are some illegal abortions done but they are very dangerous and risky it can end with the
The article “Study Finds Multiple Problems In Fetuses Exposed to Zika Virus”, author Rob Stein (2016) explains the complications that babies in the womb might face when exposed to the Zika virus. Zika’s recent outbreak has created global concern, especially due to the known correlation of microcephaly in newborn infants (Stein, 2016). Unfortunately, a recent study has shown that Zika might cause more than microcephaly in infants whose mother had the Zika virus. Stein includes the report by The New England Medical Journal that showed the results of Zika in pregnant women could lead to miscarriages, brain damage, growth issues, and other health complications (Stein, 2016). Zika is a global health issue that requires assistance, research, and intervention strategies.
Many scientists all around have heard of a virus before, but not as infectious as the zika virus. This virus can ruin a little infant. But one truism statement about this virus, which freaks out scientists, is that it is carried by mosquitos. Terrible isn't it? If I were you, I would think to myself what will make this virus restrain itself? Well in order to stop it the best solution is to splat the mosquitos; because well let's face it, mom's little children that have been born wouldn't want to have a small head and a big body. Lots of people came back with this virus but the devastated citizens didn't notice this virus coming to
Next, the virus can be spread by travelers coming back infected from the grip of the Zika virus, and people can get the terrifying disease from mosquitos (Brown). The virus
The Zika Virus outbreak currently developing in Latin America is a challenge that the US must worry about. With Latin America being right next door to the United States, the Zika Virus must be contained within Latin America but Latin America should be offered some relief in treating and preventing the disease. More specifically, the US should emplace traveling restrictions for heavily infected countries and regulate health exams for people traveling to South America. The US should also enforce tighter mosquito season requirements like monitoring mosquito populations and require spraying in areas with suspected cases. In terms of international relations, the US, in collaboration with other world powers, should adopt policies to help stop the spread of viral diseases like Ebola and other diseases like Zika by working with
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “In 2014 652,639 legal induced abortions were reported to CDC from 49 reporting areas” (Center of Disease
As Ansari and colleagues established, "Less than one-third of (31%) correctly demonstrated the tasks required for high quality [post-abortion care]" (5). While, Melese and colleagues found, "There were a total of nine deaths with a case fatality rate of 1.5% with significant evidence of unsafe induced abortion like use of foreign bodies, vaginal laceration and others" (10). Therefore, if Jig undergoes the illegal abortion her life would never be the same the complications. For instance, Jig would need to visit doctors frequently checkups and procedures to ensure her best possible health.
Although many women around the world are unable to obtain legal abortions when they need them,