LatAm women face 'lottery' accessing life-saving contraception and abortions: Amnesty

By Anastasia Moloney BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Access to potentially life-saving contraception and abortion can be a lottery for women and girls in Latin America, often depending on their ability to pay or the personal and religious views of a health worker, Amnesty International said on Monday. "Tragically, for women across Latin America, receiving life-saving medical treatment depends on the good will of a health professional or the depth of her pockets," Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty, said in a statement. Latin America has some of the world's strictest abortion laws, with seven countries imposing total bans on the procedure under any circumstances.