Amid Zika fears, Latin American nations discourage childbearing

February 01, 2016

The spread of the Zika virus, the mosquito-borne virus that can lead to brain damage in infants, has led the government of El Salvador to urge women not to have children until 2018.

Officials in Colombia, Ecuador, and Jamaica are also advising women to avoid pregnancy, The New York Times and BBC reported.

The spread of Zika has been an occasion for renewed media attacks on Catholic teaching on contraception and abortion.

 

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Further information:

• El Salvador’s Advice on Zika Virus: Don’t Have Babies (The New York Times)
• Zika Virus (CDC)
• Zika's greatest ally is human intransigence (The Guardian)
• Q&A: Abortion rules in Zika-affected countries (BBC)
• Why Latin American Women Can’t Follow the Zika Advice to Avoid Pregnancy (Time)