Chile

OVERVIEW

In Chile, you will find many health care options. However, Chilean society is rather socially conservative, in large part due to its decades under a military dictatorship and the Catholic Church hierarchy, so one should understand that sexual and reproductive health is in a state of transition.

You can purchase birth control without a prescription. Emergency contraception (the morning after pill) has been a hotly debated political issue, but it is available for purchase (and, as of 2015, no prescription is required). There are no travel or residency restrictions related to HIV status, and you can get STI tests at public or private facilities. There is is currently no PrEP program in Chile but there is an HPV vaccination program. You can find pads, tampons and menstrual cups in Santiago (there is a specific menstrual cup seller that we list in the "Menstruation" section). Chile has one of the strictest abortion laws in the world, with abortion being completely illegal. However, this law is in the process of potentially changing, as a bill is looking for approval to liberalize the laws.

Contraception (Birth Control)

General Note: There are many types of contraceptives, also known as "birth control," including IUDs, oral contraceptives, patches, shots, and condoms, etc. If you would like to view a full list, click here.

Laws & Social Stigmas

In Chile, you can purchase birth control without a prescription. It is estimated that about 65% of Chilean women use some form of contraception and that about 62% use a modern method. The most popular methods are birth control pills (24.8%), IUD (23.1%), the male condom (6.9%) and female sterilization (6.1%).

What to Get & Where to Get It

• You can purchase birth control pills in pharmacies. Some brands you can expect to see are Microlut, Microval, Microgynon CD, Nordiol, Nordiol 21, Anovulatorios Microdosis, Anulette, Anulette CD, Innova CD, Lo-Femenal, Microfemin, Microgynon, Microsoft CD, Nordette, Norvetal, Rigevidon, Anulette 20 and Loette.

Emergency Contraception (Morning After Pill)

Important Notes: Emergency contraception may prevent pregnancy for three days (72 hours) and sometimes five days (120 hours) after unprotected sex. Take EC as soon as possible after unprotected sex. If you don't have access to dedicated EC, oral contraceptives can be used as replacement EC, but remember the following: 1) Only some contraceptives work as EC 2) Different contraceptives require different dosages and time schedules to work as EC 3) You must only use the first 21 pills in 28-day packs and 4) They may be less effective than dedicated EC. For general information on emergency contraceptives, click here and here.

Laws & Social Stigmas

In Chile, emergency contraception (the morning after pill) is legal in Chile. As of 2015, no prescription is required to purchase EC. However, it is a hotly debated and political issue. In 2006, President Michelle Bachelet liberalized contraception policy and made emergency contraception available for free in state-run hospitals, which were available to women ages 14 and up (with no parental consent required). This change inflamed conservative critics. In 2008, the Constitutional Court of Chile banned free distribution of emergency contraception. Furthermore, the court ruled that the hormone levonorgestrel, which is found in EC pills, is “abortive”, and therefore against the right to life. In 2010, a new law allowed teenagers to purchase EC without parental consent.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• You can purchase dedicated emergency contraception in Chile at pharmacies or clinics. They are also offered for free at clinics. One brand you may find is Escapel-1 (take 1 pill within 120 hours after unprotected sex). You may also see Escapel-2, Poslov and Pregnon (take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex).
• You can have an IUD inserted to prevent pregnancy. Please refer to the "Contraception" section for details.
• If you can't access dedicated emergency contraception, you can use regular oral contraceptives (birth control pills) as emergency contraception. For progestin-only pills, you can take Microlut or Microval (take 50 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex). For combined pills (progestin-estrogen), you'll need to remember that, in 28-day packs, only the first 21 pills can be used. You can take Microgynon CD (take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later). You can take Nordiol or Nordiol 21 (take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later). You can take Anovulatorios Microdosis, Anulette, Anulette CD, Innova CD Lo-Femenal, Microfemin, Microgynon, Microsoft CD, Nordette, Norvetal or Rigevidon (for all of these, take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later). Finally, you can also take Anulette 20 or Loette (take 5 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 5 more pills 12 hours later).

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs/STDs)

Important Notes - Learn about PEP and PrEP: If you think that you've been recently exposed to HIV (i.e. within 72 hours), seek out PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis). It's a month-long treatment to prevent HIV infection after exposure, and it may be available in your city. Take PEP as soon as possible. For more information, click here. If you are at risk of HIV exposure, seek out PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). It's a daily oral pill that can prevent HIV infection before exposure. To learn more about PrEP, click here.

Laws & Social Stigmas

In Chile, there are not travel or residency restrictions tied to HIV status. You can also legally carry antiretroviral medication for your personal use.

Regarding HPV, Chile has a national vaccination program. As the HPV Information Centre reports, "Current estimates indicate that every year 1441 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 734 die from the disease. Cervical cancer ranks as the 4th most frequent cancer among women in Chile and the 2nd most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age. About 2.5% of women in the general population are estimated to harbour cervical HPV-16/18 infection at a given time, and 85.7% of invasive cervical cancers are attributed to HPVs 16 or 18."

Testing Facilities

Please visit the city pages, like the Santiago page, for local recommendations.

Support

• Asamblea de Organizaciones Sociales y ONG's con trabajo en VIH/SIDA - ASOSIDA: Address: San Ignacio N° 165, Santiago, Telephone: +5626720000, Fax: +5626720000. Email: asambleavih@gmail.com
• Corporación Caleta Sur: Address: Buenaventura 03906, Lo Espejo, Santiago. Telephone: +56 2 5640388. Email: caletasur@caletasur.cl
• Corporación Chilena de Prevención del SIDA - ACCIONGAY: Address: San Ignacio N° 165, Santiago, Telephone: +5626720000, Fax: +5626720000, Email: comunicaciones@acciongay.cl.
• Programa Nacional de Prevención y Control del VIH/SIDA e ITS - Centro de Documentación: Address: Mac-Iver 541, oficina 68, Santiago, Telephone: +5625740673, Fax: +5626395040.

Medications & Vaccines

What to Get & Where to Get It

• If you have a yeast infection ("infección por levaduras" in Spanish), you can ask the pharmacist for Fluconazole, which is antifungal medication. They'll be able to give you Fluconazole or something similar.
• If you have a urinary tract infection ("Infecciones de las vías urinarias" in Spanish), you can contact a doctor/pharmacist to find out next steps.* Chile has a national HPV vaccination program, which was launched in 2014. It targets to vaccinate girls at age 9.
• There are no known providers of PrEP in Chile.

Menstruation

Note: In addition to pads and tampons, you can also use menstrual cups and menstrual underwear for your period. To learn more about menstrual cups, click here. To learn more about menstrual underwear, click here.

What to Get & Where to Get It

In Chile, you will be able to find pads and tampons. Pads are definitely the most easy to find and the most popular. You'll be able to find some tampons, which are becoming more popular too. As for menstrual cups, you can buy LadyCup on the LadyCup Chile website. You can buy MoonCup online and have it delivered from the UK to Chile -- click here for details. There are no known sellers of DivaCup or Lunette in Chile, so those products may need be purchased online or bought through alternative channels.

Gynecological Exams

What to Get & Where to Get It

Please visit the city pages, like the Santiago page, for local recommendations.

Abortion

Important Note: There are two main types of abortions: medical (also known as the "abortion pill") and surgical (also known as "in-clinic"). For medical abortions, you take a pill to induce abortion. For surgical abortions, a procedure is performed to induce abortion. For general information about medical and surgical abortions, click here.

Laws & Social Stigmas

In Chile, abortion is currently illegal without exceptions. This makes Chilean abortion law one of the strictest in the world, though Chilean abortion laws are currently being reconsidered. These strict abortion laws can be attributed to the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990). According to current Chilean abortion law, a woman cannot seek an abortion, even if the pregnancy endangers her life, if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or if the fetus will not survive the pregnancy. If a woman obtains an abortion in Chile, she can currently face up to five years in prison.

Chilean laws were not always this strict. From 1931-1989, therapeutic abortion (i.e. abortion when doctors considered it medically necessary) was permitted in Chile. In fact, if a women received approval from two doctors, the abortion would be legal. Yet, "On 15 September 1989, however, the Government of Chile amended section 119 of the Health Code to provide that 'No action may be executed that has as its goal the inducement of abortion' (Law No. 18,826). The justification provided for the new restrictions was that, given the advances in modern medicine, an abortion was no longer needed to save the life of a pregnant woman. Owing to this amendment, it is generally, although not unanimously, believed that no abortions can now be legally performed in Chile." After the fall of Pinochet's military dictatorship, it was the Catholic Church authority that has most strongly advocated to keep existing abortion laws.

These strict laws are currently being challenged. In January 2015, President Michelle Bachelet announced that she would send a draft bill to Congress. This bill would decriminalize abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (18 weeks, if the woman is under 14 years old) in the following cases: when the mother's life is endangered by the pregnancy, when the pregnancy is the result of rape, and when the fetus will not survive the pregnancy. In March 2016, the bill passed in the Chamber of Deputies with a surprising vote from a member of the Christian Democrats (the party that has opposed the bill). It now needs Senate approval to become an official law.

If the abortion laws were to be changed, this would be a welcome sign of progress for many Chilean people. Due to the incredibly strict abortion laws, many women have resorted to unsafe clandestine abortions. In fact, Chile has one of the highest abortion rates in Latin America, and 33,000 women are admitted to Chilean hospitals each year to abortion-related causes. There is an underground network of pro-choice doctors and feminist in Chile who help women procure Misoprostol (also known as "the abortion pill") on the black market. However, poorer often attempt to induce the abortions themselves, which often has dangerous consequences.

For more details on Chilean abortion laws, you can check out this NPR article from October 2016.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• You can potentially get the "abortion pill" by mail. Check out this link for details
• Línea Aborto Chile (Abortion Line Chile): Lesbianas Feministas por el Derecho a la Información (Lesbian Feminists for the Right to Information): Call - 8 8 9 1 8 5 9 0. "Lesbians and Feminists for the right to information supports Linea Aborto Chile to provide information on how to use misotrol to safely terminate a pregnancy until week 12, all according to official information from the World Health Organization." Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/abortosegurochile/ Email: femilesinfo@gmail.com
• If you are considering leaving the country to obtain a legal abortion, you can legal abortions on request in Uruguay, Guyana, French Guiana, Mexico City and the United States. You can get abortions when the woman's life endangered or to preserve the woman's physical/mental health in Argentina and Peru.

List of Additional Resources

• APROFA: "APROFA works to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health care as a fundamental human right. Founded in 1965, APROFA is a pioneer of family planning in Chile and was the first organization in the country to focus on underserved and impoverished areas. The majority of its clients receive free care, including contraception, gynecological exams, and sexual health counseling."