Acceso a la anticoncepción y aborto durante la emergencia socio-sanitaria por COVID-19: situación actual y desafíos en países del Cono Sur

Abstract

Access to sexual and reproductive health services for people with childbearing capacity has been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to characterize access to contraceptive methods and to voluntary termination of pregnancy in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 23 semi-structured interviews were carried out with key informants from the government sphere, the healthcare system and civil society organizations in the studied countries. The results showed that the pandemic deepens pre-existing inequalities in access to contraception and abortion services, and impacts to a greater extent on population subgroups traditionally affected by barriers of access. In areas with strengthened primary health care systems, access limitations were mitigated. Interventions aimed at enhancing the response capacity to face outbreaks and new emergency situations are strongly recommended.