Law as a Social Determinant of Unsafe Abortion in Argentina

• Main Author: Cavallo, Maria Jr.
• Other Authors: Cook, Rebecca J.
• Language: en_ca
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: abortion; Argentina; Social Determinants of Health; 0398
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/18237

Using Burris et al.’s model of law as a social determinant of health, this thesis postulates that the law and its application contribute to abortion-related morbidity and mortality among those women who qualify for a legal and safe abortion according to the justifications stipulated in the Criminal Code. This thesis proposes a circular model in order to show how the application of the law, through courts rulings, contributes to unsafe abortion. On the one hand, Argentine law acts as a pathway along which inequity in socioeconomic status exposes certain women to pathogenic practices, such as self-induced abortions. On the other hand, the law acts as a shaper of socioeconomic status as it perpetuates gender stereotypes, constructing a normative world where sex-role stereotypes are naturalized, and having an impact in women’s lack of access to legal and safe abortions.