By Alena Zhang ’18, Staff Writer

In January, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the Zika Virus was likely to spread through all of the Americas by the end of 2016. The disease is primarily transmitted by a species of mosquitos that also carries dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.

In February, the WHO declared a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” due to the suspected correlation between Zika virus and microcephaly cases in Brazil. Infants born with microcephaly have abnormally small heads, which often leads to neurological defects and seizures later in life. Although strongly suggested, the link between Zika virus and microcephaly is not yet scientifically confirmed.

Colombia and Ecuador have issued statements urging women to hold off on getting pregnant until the effects of the Zika virus are better understood. Some countries only allow abortion if the woman has been raped or the woman’s life is in danger. Only Mexico, Colombia, and Panama allow mothers to terminate pregnancies because of a fetal impairment. Mrs. Rezvani, faculty advisor of POWER, believes “countries considered ‘high risk’ for contracting the Zika virus should consider relaxing their abortion laws, at least during this time: it is not fair for the mother or parents to have to live in fear or regret during pregnancy and while raising the child.”

However, in El Salvador, abortions are completely illegal, and having a miscarriage is considered a criminal offense. Even more, the El Salvador government advised women to avoid pregnancy for two years. Human rights organizations have said it is unfair to ask poor women to assume such a large public health responsibility. Sexual violence is so pervasive throughout the region that women often get pregnant against their own will. Mrs. Rezvani added, “Since men and women have equal responsibility in conceiving, or creating a baby, I think it is only proper to say that ‘men and women should avoid becoming pregnant’ if that is the message at hand.”

Lower-class women are at greater risk for the Zika virus, as they cannot afford insect repellent, and they live in areas where mosquitos are more likely to breed. Demant, Senior Director at Amnesty International, says, “They don’t have access to information, they don’t have access to contraception, and they don’t have access to the option to terminate a pregnancy.”

The medical abortion service Women on the Web has received thousands of emails from Latin American women begging for abortion pills. These women are only the tip of the iceberg: only 60% of households in Venezuela, Brazil, and Colombia can afford Internet access. Some pregnant women have tested positive for Zika, but cannot leave their countries or legally access abortions. Others do not trust their doctors’ diagnoses, and are fearful of raising sick children.

For a period of time, Catholic leaders in Latin America stayed silent about the issue. Bishops soon began to reassert the church’s opposition to birth control and abortion. Rev. Father Frank Pavone, the national director of Priests for Life, stated that “Couples have a responsibility to live by the church’s teachings in whatever circumstances they find themselves.”

On February 18, the Pope called abortion an “absolute evil” and a “crime.” On the other hand, he stated that “avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil.” His implied support of contraceptives countered what has been the dominant view of Vatican officials for decades: the church allows no exceptions. A Univision poll from 2014 showed that out of all continents, South America had the highest proportion of Catholics who disagreed with the church on abortion and birth control.

Erin Viola ‘16, leader of POWER, states that “It is a question of ethics whether to save a severely disabled child from a very difficult life, or to let the baby be born in the name of religion.” In addition, she said that between abortion and birth control, “It’s more ethical and practical to prevent a potentially disabled baby from ever being conceived than it is to actually terminate a pregnancy.” Strict limitations on contraceptives have driven at least 30% of women of childbearing age in El Salvador to undergo permanent sterilization procedures.

The Zika virus provides a platform for women in Catholic countries to raise discussion about reproductive rights. “The conversation is starting under terrible circumstances,” Erin says, “but if some progress is made in relation to the ethics and lines drawn in regard to abortion and birth control, these women will have greater access moving forward.”