Ecuador

Abortions and Health Care

The 1971 Penal Code of Ecuador prohibits abortion—except to save the life or health of the mother, or if the pregnancy is the result of the rape of a mentally incompetent woman—and the 1984 Constitution guarantees the protection of life from conception. In September 2008, Ecuador approved a new constitution, which some religious leaders charged could lead to legalized abortion; however, this interpretation is refuted by the current president, Rafael Correa.

In an effort to curb the rate of unsafe abortions and unintended pregnancies, the Ecuadorian government recently began a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education program in secondary schools throughout the country. In addition to this program, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) has been involved with organizations in Ecuador since 1974. PPFA claims to have increased access to sexuality education, contraception, and postabortion care. In January 2007, PPFA and their Ecuadorian partner, the Centro Médico de Orientación y Planificación Familiar, started a project for adolescents that is designed to address the reproductive health of rural, indigenous youth in Chimborazo province. PPFA is particularly interested in changing the landscape of this province, as the area has an especially high risk of unwanted pregnancy for adolescents.

Almost two-thirds of health care in Ecuador is privately funded, resulting in limited access for the poor, and financial hardship when they do seek care.

Of its approximately 13.9 million people, Ecuador has a fairly young population. The median age for males is 23.7 years of age, with the median age for females being 24.7 years; 62.7 percent are between 15 and 64 years of age, and 5.2 percent are 65 years and over. The total fertility rate of Ecuador is 2.59 children born to every woman. This figure denotes a steady decrease since 2003, when the total fertility rate was as high as 2.99 children per woman. While Ecuador is slowly changing, caring for and raising children continues to be a central role for women, while men continue to occupy less active roles in the area of childcare. Further, daughters are treated differently than sons, wherein they are portrayed as beings that need protection, and are expected to behave differently than boys as they transition to womanhood. Given the high rate of unwanted pregnancies among adolescents, young girls are likely to bear the heaviest burden when they become young mothers.

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