Ms. Angeles Cabria Senior Program Officer, Pacific Institute for Women's Health May 9, 2003

1. Organizing for Women's Sexual and
Reproductive Rights:
The Case of the Latin American
Consortium for
Emergency Contraception
Angeles Cabria
Pacific Institute for Women’s Health

2. Expanding Contraceptive Choice:
Emergency Contraception (EC) as
a Woman’s Right
• EC, commonly known as the “morning-after
pill,” is a female-controlled method of
contraception that prevents pregnancy
after unprotected sexual intercourse.
• EC– as pills or the IUD-- is the only form
of post-coital contraception.
• EC increases women’s autonomy and
decision-making power related to fertility

3. Why Is EC So Critical for Women
in Latin America (LA)?
• Reducing unintended pregnancy is one of
women’s highest priorities, especially
where abortion is legally restricted
• EC has the potential for preventing a
large number of unsafe abortions
• LA has the world’s highest percentage of
maternal deaths due to unsafe abortions
• EC is particularly relevant for rape
survivors and youth

4. What are the principles that
frame our approach?
• Women’s rights and sexual and reproductive
health rights are human rights.
• The right of women to control all aspects of
their health is central to empowerment.
• Ultimately, sexual and reproductive rights are
imperative to ensure justice for all members of
society.

5. More principles that guide
our approach
• The establishment and enforcement of laws and
policies that protect and advance these rights
are essential.
• Guidelines must secure women’s access to a
wide range of contraceptive methods, including
EC and protect the freedom to decide whether
and when to have children.
• Denial of female-specific medical care is a form
of discrimination against women.

6. What is today’s EC status in
Latin America?
• EC is widely available in pharmacies and
reproductive health clinics (Yuzpe regimen)
• The number of countries where a dedicated
EC product is available is growing: Argentina,
Brazil, Colombia, Chile, DR, El Salvador, Peru,
Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Uruguay and
Venezuela
• Other countries, such as Ecuador, have
products registered but not available

7. However…
• There is limited access to health care
services that provide EC
• Many providers are not familiar with EC,
and some harbor paternalistic attitudes or
fears of being punished for EC provision
• Women don’t know about EC so cannot ask
for it and demand their rights
• The public sector (Ministries of Health)
are reluctant to incorporate it in their
official norms on family planning and/ or
sexual violence and youth

8. Other socio-cultural barriers to EC
in Latin America
• Perception of EC as “micro-abortion”
• Opposition from the Catholic Church and
conservative groups
• Low-level recognition of sexual and
reproductive rights
• Conservative attitudes towards sexuality
• Lack of sexual education from and for
parents and in schools
• Mystification of maternity

9. In summary….
EC is not yet accessible
to most women who
need it!

10. What are the Needs for EC
Promotion in the Region
• Policies: Advocate for the inclusion of EC in the
official norms, protocols and working documents
in both the public and private sectors
• Service delivery: Expand availability of and
broaden access to information about EC
• Information, education and communication:
Inform the general public about the method,
correct misinformation and disseminate relevant
study and survey results in the region

11. A Unique Approach to Fostering
Networking and Collaborations
Worldwide
• The International Consortium for
Emergency Contraception
• The Latin American Consortium for
Emergency Contraception

12. In the Beginning…
• A group of activists pushed ahead on different
fronts, mainly in the U.S. and Europe*
• North-to-South action needed to make EC
known and available in developing countries
• In 1995 lead agencies involved in EC formed the
International Consortium for Emergency
Contraception
• Partnership among public sector organizations
and private industry was created in order to
make EC available to women worldwide
* The Concept Foundation, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Pacific Institute for
Women’s Health, PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health), Pathfinder
International, Population Council, World Health Organization, Special Program of Research,
Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction

13. LATIN AMERICAN CONSORTIUM FOR
EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION

14. The Latin American Consortium for
Emergency Contraception -LACEC (CLAE
in Spanish) is a network of non-
governmental, governmental, private, and
public organizations and institutions that
work in the areas of health, education,
and sexual and reproductive rights.
* The Pacific Institute for Women’s Health has been
coordinating LACEC since its inception in 2000

15. LACEC Mission Statement
The Consortium seeks to contribute to the
overall improvement of the population’s health
and to the reduction of unintended pregnancy,
maternal mortality and unsafe abortion in Latin
America through advocacy, promotion,
information dissemination and access to
emergency contraception within the context of
sexual and reproductive rights.

16. LACEC Goals
 To advocate for the normalization of EC and its inclusion in
the family planning/ reproductive health norms of ministries
of health.
 To disseminate information about and access to EC in its
different forms, using a gender and human rights
perspective, to all socio-economic levels of the population.
 To expand social marketing initiatives for the
commercialization and distribution of an EC dedicated
product.
 To defend EC as a sexual and reproductive right within the
larger sphere of human rights, and to integrate EC into the
context of human sexuality and the prevention of sexually
transmitted diseases, and gender based violence.

17. LACEC Activities
 Fostering collaborations, networks and
coalitions
 Facilitating information sharing among
members and interested groups.
 Leading Advocacy Strategies and collaborating with advocacy
campaigns to integrate EC in norms of ministries of health
 Convening and supporting networking and informational/educational
meetings and conferences
 Fundraising for Consortium activities and to support EC initiatives
in the region
 Creating materials in collaboration with experts from the region

18. LACEC Accomplishments
• LACEC held in October 2002 in Quito, Ecuador,
the largest Latin American Conference on EC in
history “The Right To Emergency Contraception
In Latin America And The Caribbean”.
• 250 participants from 20 countries participated,
including legislators, Ministry of Health officials,
women’s and youth NGOs, researchers, health
providers, human rights activists, youth, media.

19. Impact of LACEC Conference
• Formation of new alliances, collaborations with participants
• Increased LACEC membership
• Advancement of the work plans developed during the
conference, including new EC country networks or consortia
• Initiation of policy changes, such as EC provision in service
protocols for victims of sexual violence in Ecuador
• Exchange of IEC materials and advocacy strategies
• Greater mobilization of human resources and experts to
support EC advocacy events
• Greater participation of LACEC members in regional and
international events
• Involvement of grassroots groups and youth organizations in
subsequent political debates

20. Organizing for EC Rights:
LACEC Impact on Advancing
Women’s Empowerment
• In the two years of LACEC’s existence, women’s
NGOs have contributed greatly to the formation of
EC consortia in 4 countries (Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru
and Chile) with several more in progress
• Women’s groups in coalition with other sectors
achieved integration of EC in the official norms of
ministries of health in Ecuador, Argentina, Peru and
Bolivia
• More women are advocating and lobbying with
decision makers and politicians about EC and other
Sexual and Reproductive Rights

21. Organizing for EC Rights:
Voices from the Field
• “A representative from the Ministry of Justice
was at the conference and he was absolutely
sensitized by your presentation on
comprehensive services for sexually abuse
women, and it prompted him to propose to the
Ministry of Justice that forensic doctors should
not only inform about EC, but they should offer
it as part of their services. I am sharing this
with you so that you can see how your brilliant
intervention helped to make progress in our
country. Now we have this new challenge.”
Conference presenter from Ecuador

22. Organizing for EC Rights:
Voices from the Field
• “In La Paz, I participated in a National Workshop with
decision makers from different fields (mostly health and
justice) to talk about services for victims of sexual
violence. I tried to be convincing with the theme (it’s still
a big problem in Bolivia), talking about the fact that EC is
not an abortifacient, the need for a dedicated product,
and the possibilities of introducing it according to costs. I
tried to make them understand what is the damage done to
women by the inexplicable resistance to normatize EC.
The response was favorable. The Minister of the Supreme
Court of Justice expressed his motivation for normatizing
EC.”
Conference presenter from Bolivia

23. Organizing for EC Rights:
Voices from the Field
• “Since I returned from the Quito conference, I
have been working in my medical center with
adolescent leaders on EC. They are very
interested and it has been very helpful for
them. It is important to create spaces where
adolescents can freely discuss these themes.
However, there are many institutions, people
and health professionals here in Peru who find
this difficult to accept. We are still struggling
for information.”
Conference participant from Perú

24. Conclusions
• LACEC gets its strength from the vision, breadth of
knowledge and experience of each of its members.
• We have broadened our horizons, created innovative
collaborations with new partners and grown as individuals
while strengthening the whole collective.
• In over two years of collaboration, we have documented
and developed public health arguments that have allowed
us to refute other points of view of a more moral or
religious nature that attack EC and block efforts to
defend the right to autonomy in personal decisions
regarding women’s sexuality.

25. THANKS!