O abortion has been legalized in Argentina since 2021. As a result, the country has become a reference for Brazilian women who want to undergo the procedure safely and legally.
Argentine law allows the termination of pregnancy up to the 14th week, in cases of sexual violence and when the integral health – that is, in physical and psychological terms – of the pregnant woman is at risk.
In addition, the marketing of the abortifacient misoprostol is legal in the country. With this, it is possible to perform a self-managed abortion with the medication purchased in pharmacies with a medical prescription.
A report by Folha de S. Paulo brings information about the abortion of Brazilian women in the neighboring country, in addition to the report of two women who chose to undergo the procedure safely. There, abortion is performed in clinics and hospitals, with the accompaniment of a medical team.
The clinic chosen by one of these women was Musa, located in Rosario, Santa Fe province, a pioneering place in abortion rights. According to the article, since legalization, the clinic has served more than 1,140 women – of these, 301 were from Brazil, which makes Brazilian women almost 90% of the foreigners who seek the unit.
According to data from the Mirar project, in almost three years, abortion-related deaths have fallen by 43% in the country. Teenage pregnancies have been reduced by more than 40% – mainly due to comprehensive sex education.
Illegal sale in Brazil
Another point addressed was the illegal commercialization of misoprostol in Brazil, known as Cytotec. The drug is sold in the country by women’s support groups, which indicate the number of pills according to the gestational age of the clients. The price ranges from R$800 to R$2,100, and the medicine arrives hidden in makeup packages.
The
first woman, a young woman identified as “M,” became pregnant at the age of 21 by her boyfriend. As pregnancy was not an option for the couple, the two embarked for Argentina to carry out the termination of the pregnancy.
The young woman arrived 11 weeks and 4 days pregnant in Rosario, in the province of Santa Fe, a pioneering place in abortion rights. It was framed in the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, guaranteed up to 14 weeks (IVE), which guarantees the woman the right to the procedure without having to justify herself.
The abortion was performed in a private clinic using manual intrauterine aspiration (MVA), which lasts about 20 minutes. On the team was Bárbara Paiva, a Brazilian doctor who has become a reference for her countrywomen who go to Argentina to have abortions.
At the end of the procedure, M was advised by the team to implant the IUD (intrauterine device) to prevent a new pregnancy, which could be done right there. She accepted, and after about 15 minutes, left the office holding hands with her boyfriend after thanking the professionals.
Another report was from the 43-year-old woman identified as “G”. A mother of four, her fifth pregnancy was a high risk to her health. Advised to undergo the procedure, but without getting effective help from the doctor herself, she tried the abortifacient drugs, but without success.
As a result, she had to opt for the Musa clinic in Argentina.
“I love being a mother, I’ve spent pretty much my entire adult life in that role. But I didn’t want to leave my four children orphaned,” she said.
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