Brazil Confiscates Abortion Pills From Pregnant Women Exposed To Zika

In this Feb. 12, 2016 photo a baby born with microcephaly is examined by a neurologist in Campina Grande in Paraiba state, Brazil. CREDIT: AP PHOTO, FELIPE DANA

“I contacted Zika four days ago. I just found out I’m about six weeks pregnant. I have a son I love dearly. I love children. But I don’t believe it is a wise decision to keep a baby who will suffer. I need an abortion. I don’t know who to turn to. Please help me ASAP.”

This plea comes from one of the 20,000 emails sent by Latin American women to Women on Web, the international abortion advocacy organization that’s been sending free abortion pills to Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and other Zika-infected countries where abortion is illegal or nearly impossible to access. At least, until recently.

Women on Web discovered that officials have confiscated almost all of the pills shipped to Brazil, where more than 4,000 women have given birth to babies born with shrunken skulls — a condition linked to the Zika virus. Forced to stop all further shipments to the country, staff are struggling to find other ways to get the medication to concerned women.

The rest of this story at Think Progress