La interrupción legal del embarazo en Argentina / The legal termination of pregnancy in Argentina

En el contexto de la publicación por parte del Ministerio de Salud de la Nación de Argentina del Protocolo para la atenciónintegral de las personas con derecho a la interrupción legal del embarazo (ILE), resumido y comentado en este mismonúmero de EVIDENCIA, este comentario editorial ofrece: 1) una perspectiva amplia de lo que significa el aborto, desde lamirada estrictamente biologicista hasta definiciones basadas en el enfoque de género; 2) una descripción de los diferentesmarcos jurídicos respecto del aborto que imperan actualmente en Latinoamérica y Argentina, haciendo especial hincapiéen lo concerniente a las ILE; 3) información epidemiológica sobre la mortalidad materna en Argentina y la asociada alaborto inseguro; 4) estadísticas sobre la realización de ILE en la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.Dada la situación actual de aislamiento social preventivo obligatorio en el marco de la pandemia de Covid-19, conside-ramos quienes integramos equipos de salud debemos estar más atentos/as que nunca a las situaciones de violenciapotencial que podrían suceder en este contexto, para dar las respuestas pertinentes -entre las que se incluyen las ILE-, alas víctimas de embarazos no deseados consecutivos a situaciones de coerción. (AU)

In the context of the publication by the Argentine Ministry of Health of the Protocol for the comprehensive care of people withthe right to legal termination of pregnancy (LTP), summarized and commented on in this same issue of EVIDENCIA, thiseditorial article offers: 1) a broad perspective of what abortion means, from a strictly biological point of view to definitionsbased on the gender approach; 2) a description of the different legal frameworks regarding abortion that currently prevailin Latin America and Argentina, with special emphasis on LTP; 3) epidemiological information on maternal mortality inArgentina and that associated with unsafe abortion; 4) statistics on the realization of LTP in the Autonomous City ofBuenos Aires, Argentina.Given the current situation of mandatory preventive social isolation in the framework of the Covid-19 pandemic, we considerthat those of us who are part of health teams should be more alert than ever to situations of potential violence that couldoccur in this context, to give the relevant responses - including LTP- to victims of unwanted pregnancies following coercivesituations. (AU)

Objeción de conciencia en el ámbito de la salud / Conscientious objection in the legal context

La Ley N° 18.987 y el Decreto 375/012 suscitaron un debate que involucra el derecho de las mujeres de acceder a la interrupción voluntaria del embarazo (IVE) y el derecho de los médicos a abstenerse a realizarla por motivos de conciencia moral. Desde una perspectiva bioética laica, este artículo procura definir argumentos en pos de consensos mínimos que respeten los valores y principios morales de todos los actores.La objeción de conciencia es la negativa a realizar ciertos actos jurídicamente exigibles, para evitar una lesión grave de la propia conciencia del sujeto. Es expresión del respeto de un Estado de derecho a la libertad ideológica y religiosa de las personas. Es un acto individual que no pretende modificar lanorma ni que la mayoría revise su decisión. Se diferencia de la desobediencia civil que es la expresión de un grupo de personas sobre una norma jurídica que ese colectivo no quiere cumplir, procura su eliminación y expresa una presión grupal sobre el Estado. Desde el punto de vista bioética principialista: a) existe un respeto por la autonomía de la mujer que decide la IVE en la forma establecida por la ley; b) el acceso de la mujer a la IVE en forma controlada por el equipo de salud se corresponde con los principios de beneficencia y no maleficencia; c) laregulación de la ley en todo el Sistema Nacional Integrado de Salud garantiza el acceso universal de las mujeres a laprestación, en concordancia con el principio de justicia.

Act N° 18.987 and Decree 375/012 brought up a debate involving womenÆs right to voluntary interruption ofpregnancy and the right of physicians to refrain from performing it, due to moral consciousness issues. From a secular and bioethical perspective, this article aims to determine arguments seeking for minimal consensus that will respect the moral values and principles of allactors. Conscientious objection is the refusal to perform certain legal, enforceable actions in order to avoid a serious lesion in the person ìs own conscience. It evidences respect to freedom of ideas and religion by a state under the rule of law. It is an individual act that does not aim to change the law, and neither does it seek for others to revise their decision. It is different from civil disobedience since it consists of a group of people who state they do not want to observe a legal provision, it aims to abolish it and to exert a group pressure on the government. From the point of view of the principlism bioethics: a) there is respect for womenÆs autonomy who decide to interrupt their pregnancy according to the legal provisions in force; b) access of women to voluntary interruption ofpregnancy under the health team control is connected to the beneficence and nonmaleficence principles; c) the application of the law in the entire National Integrated Health System guarantees womenÆs universal access to these services, according to the justice principle.

A Lei N° 18.987 e o Decreto 375/012 iniciaram um debate sobre o direito das mulheres de ter acesso a interrupção voluntaria da gravidez (IVG) e o direito dos médicos de abster-se a realizá-la por motivos de consciência moral. Este artículo procura definir argumentos em favor de consensos mínimos que respeitem os valores e princípios morais de todas as partes a partir de umaperspectiva bioética laica. A objeção de consciência é a negativa a realizar certosatos juridicamente exigíveis, para evitar uma lesão grave da própria consciência da pessoa. É a expressão do respeitode um Estado de direito à liberdade ideológica e religiosa das pessoas. É um ato individual que não pretende modificar a norma nem fazer que a maioria revise sua decisão. É diferente da desobediência civil que é a expressão de um grupo de pessoas sobre uma norma jurídica que esse grupo não quer cumprir e procura sua eliminação, e expressa uma pressão grupal sobre o Estado. Do ponto de vista da bioética principialista: a) existe um respeito pela autonomia da mulher que decide a IVGda maneira estabelecida pela lei; b) o acesso da mulher â IVG controlada pela equipe de saúde corresponde aosprincípios de beneficência e não maleficência; c) a regulação da lei em todo o Sistema Nacional Integrado deSaúde garante o acesso universal das mulheres à prestação, de acordo com o principio de justiça.

The therapeutic exception: abortion, sterilization and medical necessity in Costa Rica.

Based on the case of Rosa, a nine-year-old girl who was denied a therapeutic abortion, this article analyzes the role played by the social in medical practice. For that purpose, it compares the different application of two similar pieces of legislation in Costa Rica, where both the practice of abortion and sterilization are restricted to the protection of health and life by the Penal Code. As a concept subject to interpretation, a broad conception of medical necessity could enable an ample use of the therapeutic exception and a liberal use of both surgeries. The practice of therapeutic sterilization has been generalized in Costa Rica and has become the legitimate way to distribute contraceptive sterilization. In contrast, therapeutic abortion is very rarely practiced. The analysis carried out proposes that it is the difference in social acceptance of abortion and sterilization that explains the different use that doctors, as gatekeepers of social morality, make of medical necessity.

[The Italian law on termination of pregnancy (194/1978). Should it be revised? The palliative care option]. / Terapia palliativa del feto/neonato con malformazioni incompatibili con la vita: una opzione alternativa alla interruzione di gravidanza.

The section of the Italian law on the termination of pregnancy (no. 194/1978) regarding late termination is revised and discussed in the light of the various options that could be offered to parents. Besides recent suggestions to apply time limits, the author reviews an alternative therapeutic option, considered the only feasible revision of the law which calls for strong involvement by the neonatologist and close collaboration with the obstetrician: the offer of palliative care for foetus/neonate and parents.

Exploration of the views of traditional healers regarding the termination of pregnancy (TOP) law.

The North-West Province is predominantly a rural area, and traditional healers remain the most important and influential members of the rural communities. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used. In-depth, individual focused and interactive interviews were held with eight traditional healers from the rural areas of Mmabatho-Mafikeng. In addition, field notes and observations were utilised. The objective of this article is to explore the views of the traditional healers regarding termination of pregnancy (TOP) law. The results reflected the following themes: termination of pregnancy is killing; a child is a precious gift from God and the ancestors; there are alternatives to TOP; people who had any type of abortion should be cleansed with "dipitsa" or herbs; TOP may be allowed only in case of rape and incest, rape and incest offenders should be severely punished; and the traditional healers were not consulted during formulation of the TOP Law. It is therefore recommended that traditional should be involved in TOP workshops and educational programmes to enable them to provide counselling before and after abortion.

The lived experience of moral distress: nurses who assisted with elective abortions.

The concept of moral distress has been studied mainly as an occupational issue and has not been developed for use in clinical practice. This study was designed to bridge prior studies of occupational moral distress with future clinical investigations of moral distress. Study aims were to discover the essence, properties, and full content domain of the concept of moral distress in order to develop a universal definition of the concept. A modified phenomenological study of nurses' experience of a particular moral issue was conducted. A maximum variation sampling strategy was used to recruit a final sample of registered nurses (N = 10). Interior aversion is the essential act of moral distress. Five properties of the lived experience of moral distress were identified: perception, pain, valuing, altered participation, and perspective. Three types of moral distress identified in this study were: shocked, muted, and suppressed (persistent). Type of moral distress was related to situational conditions, recognition of moral ends, quality of coping processes, and temporal breadth. Negative outcomes of moral distress, which probably exist, were undetectable with this study design. The definition has been composed in universal terms, but remains tentative, since the full content domain of moral distress was largely but not definitively identified.