10,963
edits
Gynopedia needs your support! Please consider contributing content, translating a page, or making a donation today. With your support, we can sustain and expand the website. Gynopedia has no corporate sponsors or advertisers. Your support is crucial and deeply appreciated.
Chile: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
I removed the previous citation, which was unreliable (a for-profit company website), and changed it to the CIA Worldfactbook. I also amended the section to reflect data from the CIA Worldfactbook.
(I removed the previous citation, which was unreliable (a for-profit company website), and changed it to the CIA Worldfactbook. I also amended the section to reflect data from the CIA Worldfactbook.) |
|||
| (8 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
| Line 6: | Line 6: | ||
In Chile, you will find a range of health care options. 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 currently no known 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). For decades, Chile had one of the strictest abortion laws in the world, but abortion is now permitted in certain circumstances (see "Abortion" section below for details). Homosexuality is legal, and gay civil unions are recognized by the government.<ref>[https://www.equaldex.com/region/chile Equaldex - Chile]</ref> | In Chile, you will find a range of health care options. 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 currently no known 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). For decades, Chile had one of the strictest abortion laws in the world, but abortion is now permitted in certain circumstances (see "Abortion" section below for details). Homosexuality is legal, and gay civil unions are recognized by the government.<ref>[https://www.equaldex.com/region/chile Equaldex - Chile]</ref> | ||
The majority of people in Chile speak the Spanish language. Chilean society tends to be religious on average, with about 67% of the populace identifying as Roman Catholic and 16% identifying as Evangelic or Protestant, according to 2012 data. The majority live in cities as well, with about 88% in urban environments.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ci.html CIA World Factbook: Chile]</ref> | |||
==Contraception (Birth Control)== | ==Contraception (Birth Control)== | ||
| Line 31: | Line 33: | ||
===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | ===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.<ref>[http://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/2015/09/05/chile-consent-the-morning-after-pill-sale-non-prescription.shtml Chile consent the “morning after pill” non prescription sale]</ref> 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).<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/17/world/americas/17chile.html Policy on Morning-After Pill Upsets Chile]</ref> 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.<ref>[https://rewire.news/article/2009/10/19/chile-the-struggle-over-emergency-contraception/ Chile: The Struggle Over Emergency Contraception]</ref> In 2010, a new law allowed teenagers to purchase EC without parental consent.<ref>[http://www.latinpost.com/articles/18075/20140727/sales-of-morning-after-pill-have-tripled-since-2010-in-chile.htm Morning After Pill: Sales Have Tripled Since 2010 in Chile]</ref> | In Chile, emergency contraception (the morning after pill) is legal in Chile. As of 2015, no prescription is required to purchase EC.<ref>[http://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/2015/09/05/chile-consent-the-morning-after-pill-sale-non-prescription.shtml Chile consent the “morning after pill” non prescription sale]</ref> However, it is a hotly debated and political issue. According to a local source, "... it is illegal for a pharmacist to reject selling the morning-after pill, but this has been known to happen." (April 2019) | ||
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).<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/17/world/americas/17chile.html Policy on Morning-After Pill Upsets Chile]</ref> 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.<ref>[https://rewire.news/article/2009/10/19/chile-the-struggle-over-emergency-contraception/ Chile: The Struggle Over Emergency Contraception]</ref> In 2010, a new law allowed teenagers to purchase EC without parental consent.<ref>[http://www.latinpost.com/articles/18075/20140727/sales-of-morning-after-pill-have-tripled-since-2010-in-chile.htm Morning After Pill: Sales Have Tripled Since 2010 in Chile]</ref> | |||
===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ||
| Line 120: | Line 124: | ||
===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | ===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | ||
In Chile, abortion is permitted in certain circumstances, | In Chile, abortion is legally permitted in certain circumstances, under Law 21.030. These circumstances are: when the pregnancy endangers the life of the pregnant person, when the fetus will not survive the pregnancy, and during the first 12 weeks for adults or 14 weeks for people under 14 years old in cases of rape.<ref>[http://www.diariooficial.interior.gob.cl/publicaciones/2017/09/23/41866/01/1276248.pdf REGULA LA DESPENALIZACIÓN DE LA INTERRUPCIÓN VOLUNTARIA DEL EMBARAZO EN TRES CAUSALES, 2017]</ref> For all other cases, abortion is illegal. This means that abortion is not available upon request. | ||
However, abortion access is difficult for many Chilean women. According to a 2018 report by FIDH and Citizens' Observatory, the scope of Law 21.030 is narrow, which exposes it to many loopholes.<ref>[https://www.fidh.org/en/region/americas/chile/abortion-in-chile-women-face-countless-obstacles Abortion in Chile: Women face countless obstacles]</ref> For example, a law was passed in 2018 that allowed physicians and medical instutions to deny abortion services on the grounds of conscientious objection, if they oppose abortion for moral or religious reasons.<ref>[http://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/chile-law-permits-abortion-on-three-grounds/ Chile: Law Permits Abortion on Three Grounds]</ref> | |||
Furthermore, there is a "counseling service" requirement to the abortion law.<ref>[http://www.lahora.cl/2018/05/aborto-chile-90-las-mujeres-recibieron-acompanamiento-decidieron-abortar/ Aborto en Chile: El 90 % de las mujeres que recibieron acompañamiento decidieron abortar]</ref> As explained to one of our contacts in Chile: "Within the law, it is established that a woman whose pregnancy falls within the protected circumstances should be offered a 'counseling service' (known as 'acompañamiento'), whereby she can be accompanied in the decision on whether to interrupt or continue the pregnancy by a multidisciplinary team, if she so wishes. Together with being voluntary, the services should be free and readily available in all hospitals/ clinics that can provide abortion -- but, in reality, it has been asked of women to pay for it and it is not available in most places." (April 2019) | |||
Before 2017, abortion was completely illegal without exceptions. However, in August 2017, Chilean lawmakers voted to allow abortions in certain cases.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/03/americas/chile-vote-abortion-ban-eased/index.html Chilean lawmakers vote to ease abortion ban]</ref> This reversed decades of the highly strict Chilean abortion laws, which were among the strictest in the world. These strict abortion laws can be attributed to the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990). According to these laws, a woman could not seek an abortion, even if the pregnancy endangered her life, if the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest, or if the fetus would not survive the pregnancy. If a woman obtained an abortion in Chile, she could face up to five years in prison.<ref>[http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Chiles-Abortion-Bill-Approved-by-Senate-Commission-20160906-0031.html Chile's Abortion Bill Approved by Senate Commission]</ref> | Before 2017, abortion was completely illegal without exceptions. However, in August 2017, Chilean lawmakers voted to allow abortions in certain cases.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/03/americas/chile-vote-abortion-ban-eased/index.html Chilean lawmakers vote to ease abortion ban]</ref> This reversed decades of the highly strict Chilean abortion laws, which were among the strictest in the world. These strict abortion laws can be attributed to the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990). According to these laws, a woman could not seek an abortion, even if the pregnancy endangered her life, if the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest, or if the fetus would not survive the pregnancy. If a woman obtained an abortion in Chile, she could face up to five years in prison.<ref>[http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Chiles-Abortion-Bill-Approved-by-Senate-Commission-20160906-0031.html Chile's Abortion Bill Approved by Senate Commission]</ref> | ||
| Line 133: | Line 141: | ||
* Abortion is legally permitted in certain circumstances (see above section), but it is not available upon request. | * Abortion is legally permitted in certain circumstances (see above section), but it is not available upon request. | ||
* You can potentially get the "abortion pill" by mail. Check out [https://www.womenonweb.org/en/i-need-an-abortion this link] for details | * You can potentially get the "abortion pill" by mail. Check out [https://www.womenonweb.org/en/i-need-an-abortion this link] for details. | ||
* There are currently three organizations that offer counseling services for abortions in Chile, as of April 2019. It is important to note that these counseling services are required prior to an abortion procedure. These organizations are Corporación Miles, Chile Unido, and APROFA. However, Corporación Miles may be the only service that offers this service for free, so it may be your best option. | |||
* [http://infoabortochile.org/ 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 | * [http://infoabortochile.org/ 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]]. | * 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]]. | ||
===Costs=== | ===Costs=== | ||
==LGBTQ Health Care== | |||
===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | |||
From our source in Chile: "Not many hospitals in Chile offer services specific for trans people and few professionals have been trained to work with them (with all that might imply, for example, getting a prostate exam for a trans woman in comparison with a cis-man); the health services providing specialised attention for trans people are known as poli-trans and are present in some hospitals. | |||
===What To Get & Where To Get It=== | |||
* Organizando Trans Diversidades (OTD): They can provide information on trans rights and sexual health | |||
* [https://www.amandajofre.com/ Amanda Joffré]: This organization works with trans sex workers | |||
==Advocacy & Counseling== | ==Advocacy & Counseling== | ||
===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | ===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | ||
* Victims of sexual violence can consult a Centro de Violencia Sexual (CVS, Centre for Sexual Violence), which are public services financed by the Ministry for Women and Gender Equality. The work done by the CVS is very good but there are only about 3 centers across all of Chile, so the waiting list is HUGE; in any case they will be able to refer people needing urgent assistance to the best options close to them. | |||
* People suffering gender violence can contact the Centros de la Mujer (Women's centers), which are basically shelters offering services for women suffering domestic violence. | |||
* As a result of recent scandals of sexual assault and harassment within educational establishment, many students of different universities of Chile have organized in groups known as Secretarías de Género or Vocalías de Género to offer support to other students victim of gender violence, so if a user of the website is visiting Chile to study, they can make contact with the Vocalía/Secretaría de Género of their university (not all universities have one) and find some sort of support. | |||
===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ||
* [https://www.nomasviolenciacontramujeres.cl/ Red Chilena Contra la Violencia Domestica y Sexual]: "The Chilean Network against Violence against Women - the Chilean Network against Domestic and Sexual Violence - is an articulation of collectives, social organizations, non-governmental organizations and women. Since 1990, it has worked to eradicate violence against women. women and girls It carries out actions of denunciation, campaigns, studies and other public interventions coordinated throughout the country; organizes film cycles and talks; implements training schools and develops since 2007 the campaign "Beware! Machismo Mata "nationally." Email: redcontraviolencia@gmail.com | * [https://www.nomasviolenciacontramujeres.cl/ Red Chilena Contra la Violencia Domestica y Sexual]: "The Chilean Network against Violence against Women - the Chilean Network against Domestic and Sexual Violence - is an articulation of collectives, social organizations, non-governmental organizations and women. Since 1990, it has worked to eradicate violence against women. women and girls It carries out actions of denunciation, campaigns, studies and other public interventions coordinated throughout the country; organizes film cycles and talks; implements training schools and develops since 2007 the campaign "Beware! Machismo Mata "nationally." Email: redcontraviolencia@gmail.com | ||
* Health Counseling from [http://mileschile.cl/en/ Corporación Miles]: "We offer a counselling service (consejería) in sexual and reproductive health, in areas such as self-care practices and sexual wellbeing, perinatal loss, pregnancy and maternity, contraception, sexual and reproductive health of LGBTI people, prevention of STIs and HIV/AIDS, sexual violence and legal orientation. The counselling team is comprised of a clinical psychologist, a lawyer, a midwife and a gynecologist and the session(s) can be presencial or through the phone (for people living outside of Santiago)(http://mileschile.cl/proyectos/consejeria-en-salud-sexual-y-reproductiva/). Unfortunately, we are not yet able to provide transportation from people leaving in the territory or for our professionals to travel frequently or set an office in another region." Address: Ernesto Pinto Lagarrigue 183, Recoleta, Santiago. Phone: +56 2 2735 7539. Contact us at: comunicaciones@mileschile.cl | |||
* Legal Counseling fro [http://mileschile.cl/en/ Corporación Miles]: "Depending on the nature of the situation of the person seeking legal counsel (eg. if they can afford to pay for legal representation in another place or not) and of our means at the moment, we can offer free legal representation to any person whose sexual and reproductive rights have been violated in national (eg. criminal, civil and family tribunals, court of appeal, supreme court) and international settings (eg. Inter-american Court of Human Rights)." Address: Ernesto Pinto Lagarrigue 183, Recoleta, Santiago. Phone: +56 2 2735 7539. Contact us at: comunicaciones@mileschile.cl | |||
===Costs=== | ===Costs=== | ||
| Line 152: | Line 178: | ||
* [http://www.aprofa.cl/ 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." Central Office Address: Ramón Ángel Jara 450. Santiago Centro - Chile. Phone: +56 2 22645600. Email: aprofa@aprofa.cl | * [http://www.aprofa.cl/ 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." Central Office Address: Ramón Ángel Jara 450. Santiago Centro - Chile. Phone: +56 2 22645600. Email: aprofa@aprofa.cl | ||
* [http://mileschile.cl/en/ Corporación Miles]: They focus on sexual and reproductive health care and rights in Chile. The group does advocacy work with policy-makers and the media They also provide services to the community, including: education/workshops, health-related counseling, and sometimes legal counseling. Address: Ernesto Pinto Lagarrigue 183, Recoleta, Santiago. Phone: +56 2 2735 7539. Contact us at: comunicaciones@mileschile.cl | |||
* [https://www.facebook.com/redchilenadeprofesionales/ Red Chilena de Profesionales por el Derecho a Decidir]: They advocate for sexual and reproductive rights, including abortion access, in Chile. The group was established by Corporación Miles, which states that the network aims to create " ...nation-wide communication between professionals in favour of performing legal abortions and willing to campaigning for the broadening the current law so as to better the attention offered to women across the territory. This network allows us to connect women seeking good sexual and reproductive health to professionals in their region without fearing judgement or experiencing revictimization." Email: redchp.derechoadecidir@gmail.com. | |||
* [http://www.movilh.cl/ MOVIH Chile – Movimiento de Integración y Liberación Homosexual]: This is a human rights and advocacy group in Chile that focuses on LGBTQ issues. It was founded in 1991. Address: Coquimbo 1410, Santiago Centro, Chile. Postal Code 833-0967. Phone: +56226714855. Email: movilh@gmail.com. | * [http://www.movilh.cl/ MOVIH Chile – Movimiento de Integración y Liberación Homosexual]: This is a human rights and advocacy group in Chile that focuses on LGBTQ issues. It was founded in 1991. Address: Coquimbo 1410, Santiago Centro, Chile. Postal Code 833-0967. Phone: +56226714855. Email: movilh@gmail.com. | ||