'Morning after pills' cause stir in Peru

Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECPs), also known as the "morning after pills", are causing a stir in Peru.

It has resurfaced in recent days due to two contradictory rulings from the country's Constitutional Court.

In 2006, the court ordered the government to give out the pills free of charge to those who ask for it. However, in 2009, the same court banned the pill from being handed over for free, although they could still be sold.

On Aug 24, however, the newly appointed government of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski announced that ECPs would be provided free of charge to women at all hospitals and clinics. This came after a judge overturned the 2009 ruling.

This has been hailed as a major step forward for women's rights in the country but the decision has not been without controversy.

According to research, ECPs prevent unwanted pregnancies as they obstruct the ovulation process and fertilization by preventing sperm cells from reaching the egg.

Those who oppose the pill on religious grounds consider this to be abortive and want it banned since Peru's current constitution defends life from the moment of conception.

Peru is the only country in the South American region where ECPs are not distributed free of charge, directly affecting women with limited economic resources, according to Miguel Malo, from the Pan American Health Organization's Public Health and Development Policies.

Figures from Save the Children-Peru show that 60 percent of teenage pregnancies between the age of 12 and 16 are largely due to rapes within the family. Therefore, these at-risk children and teenagers need access to the pill to avoid unwanted pregnancies and ease the trauma.

Save the Children Peru has launched a campaign "HablaporEllas" ("SpeakforThem") aimed at reducing and eradicating teenage pregnancy, taking into account that eight out of every 10 pregnant minors leave school and only 34 percent finish primary education.

This campaign emphasizes that the young girls can have ownership over their bodies and exert control over their sexuality.

In a survey released in 2014, the National Institute of Statistics and Information (INEI) showed that around 298,000 women aged between 15 and 19 were mothers or pregnant.

This number represented 14.6 percent of the total population within this age range. Apart from being sexually assaulted, the young women cited being unaware of contraceptive measures or early sexual relations as the reason behind their pregnancy.

Another social concern, in line with INEI's figures, is that 6.3 percent of girls aged below 15 years old have had sexual relations, consensual or not, and 0.6 percent have become pregnant before reaching this age.

Those in favor of the "morning after pill" also argue that, on average, 370,000 illegal abortions are carried out every year in Peru, a little more than 1,000 a day.

Around 65,000 women are hospitalized a year after undergoing illegal abortions in squalid circumstances or from people that have little to no medical training.

In Peru, therapeutic abortion up to 22 weeks of pregnancy has been legal since 1924 but only if the mother is in imminent danger of death.

However, in reality, this hardly ever happens due to several reasons, including limited economic resources, shame or fear of reprisals.

Legally, women receiving illegal abortion could be jailed for one to three years and those carrying out the abortion can be jailed for up to six years and lose their medical licence.

Despite this, it is not difficult to find announcements that advertise abortions, under the pretense of being an analysis into "delayed periods" or "unwanted pregnancies."

Taking into account the quantity of abortions and unwanted pregnancies, the Ministry of Education has been recommended to once again include a course on family education in the national curriculum, as well as educating teenagers about sexual health and reproduction.

The Health Ministry is also looking into permanent campaigns to raise awareness against sexually transmitted infections and to fight against HIV and AIDS.