In the midst of an outbreak of the Zika virus in Latin America,
El Salvador has recommended women try not to get pregnant until 2018. This is because the virus, which is spread via mosquitos, can lead to microcephaly, a birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads.
The problem? Abortion is banned in El Salvador, and contraceptives are incredibly hard to come by.In El Salvador, abortion is criminalized on all grounds, including when the mother’s life or health is threatened, and in the case of rape. Women can even go to prison for miscarrying. Birth control
requires a doctor's prescription, and can only be sold in specific places. The country offers extremely
limited subsidies for condoms, meaning they can be unaffordable for poor families.
How can women avoid pregnancy if there are so many barriers to obtaining contraceptives, and abortion is entirely banned? Lifting its draconian abortion ban may take time and is worth fighting for, but
what El Salvador can do immediately is provide more subsidies for condoms and lift burdensome restrictions on birth control. Please sign my petition to urge legislators to increase access to contraceptives.