Birth rights

[shawnsyms]

A beautiful, healthy baby. It's what the young mother had been hoping for, especially after learning during her pregnancy that she had HIV. But her joy was short-lived. Just 12 hours after giving birth, as she lay in bed in the state-run Hospital de Curicó in Chile, the 22-year-old woman was told that she had been sterilized - without her consent.

Comments

[paulintoronto]

It is an excellent article, Shawn. But I'm not so sure that everyone is as familiar as you seem to think with Section 22 Orders.

[shawnsyms]

Thanks, Paul, I appreciate that. And I think you're right re Section 22. I should have added some more context or linked to some additional information:

http://www.hivstigma.com/blogs/brian/?p=145
http://www.xtra.ca/public/Toronto/HIV_disclosure_can_be_dangerous-5937.aspx

[shawnsyms]

I hear you. I only care about my blowjob!

[mt_yvr]

What's interesting about this is that out here in BC we've pretty much stopped MTCT dead in its tracks. There are in fact fairly effective methods to do so - but to be fair they are drugs that are available here and unlikely to be as easily accessed outside of Canada.

[shawnsyms]

It's my understanding that drugs like nevirapine and others are available in Chile. (To your point though, I wouldn't want to make any assumptions that the level of access is the same as it is here). That said, the sterilization impulse seems prevalent enough in that country that it sure seems to have less to do with treatment access and more to do with social control.

[mt_yvr]

Oh, I can't speak to those issues. Just made me think randomly about the various talks I've taped that talk about MTCT numbers out here.