Silvina Ramos

En Argentina, la Ley 27610, que legalizó la interrupción voluntaria del embarazo, fue el resultado de años de activismo y alianzas políticas. Para monitorear su implementación, entre 2022 y 2024 se desarrolló un instrumento que evalúa la accesibilidad y calidad de los servicios de aborto, considerando la experiencia de las personas usuarias. Realizamos un estudio en tres etapas, incluyendo paneles de personas expertas, entrevistas cognitivas, y una prueba piloto del instrumento con personas que abortaron. Estos esfuerzos resultaron en el cuestionario Medimos Accesibilidad y Calidad en los Servicios del Aborto (MACA) que se puede aplicar en el sistema de salud en Argentina. Este cuestionario se puede usar para propósitos de monitoreo, para identificar mejoras en los servicios de salud y desigualdades en el acceso según territorios y características sociales.

In December of 2020, the Argentine Congress legalized abortion through 14 weeks, vastly increasing access to abortion care in the country. The law’s passage followed years of advocacy for abortion rights in Argentina - including mass public and civil society mobilization, vocal support from an established pool of abortion providers who offered abortion services under specific legal exceptions prior to the new law, and the growth of community groups such as the Socorristas en Red who provide support for people to self-manage abortions. Aided by ample political will, the number of health facilities offering services increased substantially after the law was passed, and the public visibility around the law has helped assure people seeking abortion that it is their right. Proyecto mirar is an initiative focused on both gathering and using qualitative and quantitative data to inform stakeholders about the progress and obstacles of the law’s implementation. In this review, we present an overall summary of the first two years of implementation of the abortion law in Argentina based on proyecto mirar data and contextualized through the historical processes that have contributed to the law’s passage and application. While we see increases in abortion services and improved public perception around abortion rights, inequities in access and quality of care persist throughout the country. Specifically, providers in some regions are well trained, while others create obstacles to access, and in some regions health services provide high quality abortion care whereas others provide substandard care. To be sure, the implementation of public policies does not happen overnight; it requires government support and backing to tackle obstacles and solve implementation problems. Our findings suggest that when new abortion laws are passed, they must be supported by civil society and government leaders to ensure that associated policies are well crafted and monitored to ensure successful implementation.

En las últimas décadas, en la Argentina sucedieron hechos determinantes en el contexto político y social con respecto al aborto, que culminaron con la aprobación de la Ley de Interrupción Voluntaria del Embarazo (IVE) en diciembre de 2020. El objetivo de este artículo es explorar las principales barreras que enfrentaron las mujeres en el acceso al aborto legal en el sistema público de salud de dos jurisdicciones de Argentina, Rosario y Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, en los años 2019 y 2020. A partir de una adaptación del modelo de las tres demoras, se realizaron encuestas y entrevistas semiestructuradas a 117 mujeres. Las participantes reportaron dificultades para acceder a información sobre lugares y personas donde recurrir para acceder un aborto. La mayoría de las participantes respondió que las personas gestantes no cuentan con información sobre la legalidad del aborto. Si bien la mayoría reportó haber tenido una buena experiencia con los servicios de salud, también identificaron algunas barreras administrativas e institucionales.

Background: While cesarean section is an essential life-saving strategy for women and newborns, its current overuse constitutes a global problem. The aim of this formative research is to collect information from hospitals, health professionals and women regarding the use of cesarean section in Argentina. This article describes the methodology of the study, the characteristics of the hospitals and the profile of the participants. Methods: This formative research is a mixed-method study that will be conducted in seven provinces of Argentina. The eligibility criteria for the hospitals are (a) use of the Perinatal Information System, (b) cesarean section rate higher than 27% in 2016, (c) ≥ 1000 deliveries per year. Quantitative and qualitative research techniques will be used for data collection and analysis. The main inquiry points are the determining factors for the use of cesarean section, the potential interventions to optimize the use of cesarean section and, in the case of women, their preferred type of delivery. Discussion: It is expected that the findings will provide a situation diagnosis to help a context-sensitive implementation of the interventions recommended by the World Health Organization to optimize cesarean section use. Trial registration IS002316 Plain English Summary: Cesarean section is an essential medical tool for mothers and their children, but nowadays its overuse is a problem worldwide. Our purpose is to get information from hospitals, health professionals and women about how cesarean section is used in Argentina. In this protocol we describe how we will carry out the study and the characteristics of the hospitals and participants. We will implement this study in seven provinces of Argentina, in hospitals that have more than 1,000 births each year, had a cesarean section rate higher than 27% in 2016 and use the Perinatal Information System. We will gather information using forms, surveys and interviews. We want to identify the factors that decide the use of a cesarean section, the potential interventions that can improve the use of cesarean section and, in the case of women, the type of delivery they prefer. We expect that this study will give us a diagnosis of how cesarean section is used in Argentina, and that this will help to apply the interventions that the World Health Organization recommends to optimize the use of cesarean section in our specific context.

Background: The sustained increase of cesarean sections constitutes a global problem. The purpose of this formative research is to collect information from hospitals, health professionals and women as regards the use of cesarean section in Argentina. This article describes the methodology of the study, the characteristics of the hospitals and the profile of the participants. Methods: Transversal study to be conducted in seven provinces of Argentina. The eligibility criteria for the hospitals are a) use of the Perinatal Computer System, b) cesarean section rate higher than 27% in 2016, c) ≥1000 deliveries per year. Quantitative and qualitative research techniques are used for data collection and analysis. The main inquiry points are the following: determining factors for the use of cesarean section, potential interventions to optimize the use of cesarean section and, in the case of women, preferred type of delivery. Discussion: It is expected that the findings will make it possible to obtain a situation diagnosis to help in a context-sensitive implementation of the interventions recommended by the World Health Organization to optimize cesarean section use.Trial registration: IS002316

El tema del aborto en la región latinoamericana ha venido ocupando un lugar importante y creciente en el quehacer académico, el debate público y, en particular, en las agendas y políticas públicas desde hace más de dos décadas. La excelente y reciente publicación del Consorcio Latinoamericano contra el Aborto Inseguro (clacai), Investigación sobre aborto en América Latina y el Caribe. Una agenda renovada para informar políticas públicas e incidencia, cuyo resumen ejecutivo se presenta a continuación, nos ofrece un conocimiento riguroso y sólido de la evidencia científica de que se dispone en la región sobre este tema en el periodo de 2009 al 2014; con base en éste, nos propone los ejes temáticos prioritarios que deben ser indagados en el futuro inmediato. Sin duda esta publicación representa un insumo altamente valorizado que contribuye a comprender y difundir la situación del aborto en la región, sus causas, las consecuencias y los obstáculos que las mujeres enfrentan en su decisión de interrumpir su embarazo, así como las posturas de los diversos actores sociales que están a favor o en contra de la despenalización del aborto y las acciones que en los ámbitos institucionales, privados y públicos, influyen y participan en este proceso; dichos aspectos también están presentes en el debate público en numerosos países de otras regiones.

HPV test self-collection has been shown to reduce barriers to cervical screening and increase uptake. However, little is known about women’s preferences when given the choice between self-collected and clinician-collected tests. This paper aims to describe experiences with HPV self-collection among women in Jujuy, the first Argentinean province to have introduced HPV testing as the primary screening method, provided free of cost in all public health centers. Between July and December 2012, data on acceptability of HPV self-collection and several social variables including past screening were collected from 2616 self-collection accepters and 433 non-accepters, and were analyzed using multivariate regression. In addition, in-depth interviews (n = 30) and 2 focus groups were carried out and analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative findings indicate that main reasons for choosing self-collection are those reducing barriers related to women’s roles of responsibility for domestic work and work/family organization, and to health care services’ organization. No social variables were significantly associated with acceptability. Among those who preferred clinician-collection, the main reasons were trust in health professionals and fear of hurting themselves. Qualitative findings also showed that self-collection allows women to overcome barriers related to the health system (i.e. long wait times), without sacrificing time devoted to work/domestic responsibilities. Findings have implications for self-collection recommendations, as they show it is the preferred method when women are given the choice, even if they are not screening non-attenders. Findings also highlight the importance of incorporating women’s needs/preferences in HPV screening recommendations.

This article presents the findings of a qualitative study exploring the experiences of women living in Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, Argentina, with the use of misoprostol for inducing an abortion. We asked women about the range of decisions they had to make, their emotions, the physical experience, strategies they needed to use, including seeking health care advice and in dealing with a clandestine medical abortion, and their overall evaluation of the experience. An in-depth interview schedule was used. The women had either used misoprostol and sought counselling or care at a public hospital (n=24) or had used misoprostol based on the advice of a local hotline, information from the internet or from other women (n=21). Four stages in the women's experiences were identified: how the decision to terminate the pregnancy was taken, how the medication was obtained, how the tablets were used, and reflections on the outcome whether or not they sought medical advice. Safety and privacy were key in deciding to use medical abortion. Access to the medication was the main obstacle, requiring a prescription or a friendly drugstore. Correct information about the number of pills to use and dosage intervals was the least easy to obtain and caused concerns. The possibility of choosing a time of privacy and having the company of a close one was highlighted as a unique advantage of medical abortion. Efforts to improve abortion law, policy and service provision in Argentina in order to ensure the best possible conditions for use of medical abortion by women should be redoubled.

In Argentina, abortion has been decriminalized under certain circumstances since the enactment of the Penal Code in 1922. Nevertheless, access to abortion under this regulatory framework has been extremely limited in spite of some recent changes. This article reports the findings of the first phase of an operations research study conducted in the Province of Santa Fe, Argentina, regarding the implementation of the local legal and safe abortion access policy. The project combined research and training to generate a virtuous circle of knowledge production, decision-making, and the fostering of an informed healthcare policy. The project used a pre-post design of three phases: baseline, intervention, and evaluation. It was conducted in two public hospitals. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire (n = 157) and semi-structured interviews (n = 27) were applied to gather information about tacit knowledge about the regulatory framework; personal opinions regarding abortion and its decriminalization; opinions on the requirements needed to carry out legal abortions; and service’s responses to women in need of an abortion. Firstly, a fairly high percentage of health care providers lack accurate information on current legal framework. This deficit goes side by side with a restrictive understanding of both health and rape indications. Secondly, while a great majority of health care providers support abortion under the circumstances consider in the Penal Code, most of them are reluctant towards unrestricted access to abortion. Thirdly, health care providers’ willingness to perform abortions is noticeably low given that only half of them are ready to perform an abortion when a woman’s life is at risk. Willingness is even lower for each of the other current legal indications. Findings suggest that there are important challenges for the implementation of a legal abortion policy. Results of the study call for specific strategies targeting health care providers in order to better inform about current legal abortion regulations and to sensitize them about abortion social determinants. The interpretation of the current legal framework needs to be broadened in order to reflect a comprehensive view of the health indication, and stereotypes regarding women’s sexuality and abortion decisions need to be dismantled.