Press release:

Today, on the International Day of Action for Women´s Health, is the public launch of an hotline that gives women information on how to safely abort using a medication known as misoprostol.

Where: Plaza de la Constitución, Santiago, Chile.

When: 13:30 hrs., Thursday, 28 May, 2009.

The launch is being carried out by the Red Salud Mujeres Chile, or Women´s Health Network of Chile, a network of feminist organizations from all over the country. Similar actions will be held in the cities of Temuco and Concepción.

The hotline is supported by Women on Waves (Netherlands) and the Coordinadora Juvenil por la Equidad de Género (Ecuador).

Press inquiries: +56 984668855

Women needing help in Chile: 08-8918590.

To follow to activities surrounding the launch, please visit the Women on Waves website: www.womenonwaves.org/set-1936-en.html

Further information:

Chile has one of the highest rates of abortion in Latin America ? between 120.000 and 160.000 women have abortions every year, meaning that about 1 in 3 pregnancies end in abortion (The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994: ¨Clandestina Abortion: a Latin American Reality.¨ Nueva York, Estados Unidos). Abortion is penalized in all possible circumstances, causing women having abortions to risk their health, lives, and freedom, because they can be denounced, mistreated, and imprisoned.

The Women´s Health Network of Chile seeks to facilitate access to information for women, to allow them to truly exercise their human rights. We state that
*1- Women have the right to freely and autonomously decide about their own lives and bodies
*2- The access to information is a human right
*3- Unsafe abortion is a public health problem and an issue of social justice.

For more information about abortion please see:

Women on Waves: ...

This is a day to day report on the activities in Chile. All over the country women's groups have activities to launch the safe abortion hotline.

Links Press

www.theclinic.cl/2009/07/30/el-correo-del-dinero-1-aborto-a-luca/

www.publimetro.cl/content/view/523510/Fono-aborto-desata-escandalo-e-indignacion-en-organizaciones-pro-vida.html#content-top

www.rpp.com.pe/2009-05-28-lanzan-en-chile-linea-telefonica-para-orientar-abortos-con-farmacos-en-casa-noticia_184394.html

www.australtemuco.cl/prontus4_noticias/site/extra/pdp/pdp.html?sec=2&ts=20090530010314&fp=20090530&pag=23

www.elcomercio.com.pe/noticia/292941/lanzan-chile-linea-orientar-abortos-farmacos-casa

www.diariocritico.com/venezuela/venezuela/2009/Mayo/saludvital/152625/chile-linea-telefonica-abortos-en-casa.html

www.nuestratele.tv/content/lanzan-chile-linea-telefonica-orientar-abortos-farmacos-casa

es.noticias.yahoo.com/9/20090528/tsc-lanzan-en-chile-una-linea-telefonica-539a483.html

www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?ID=11726

...

Member organizations:

Red chilena contra la violencia domestica y sexual
Red de salud de las mujeres latinoamericanas y del caribe
Red de mujeres de organizaciones sociales, Remos
Movimiento pro emancipación de la mujer chilena. Memch
Educación popular en salud, EPES.
Asociación de mujeres rurales e indígenas, Anamuri
Coordinadora de talleres artesanales de villa O' higgins.
Circo feminista
Feministas Tramando
Fondo Alquimia
Solidaridad y organización local, Sol
Colectivo Con-spirando.
Colectiva Mujeres Públicas.
Fortaleza de mujer.
Mujeres inmigrantes, Warmipura.
Radio comunitaria siglo 21, palabra de mujer.
Foro de salud y derechos sexuales y reproductivos
Autónomas y colectivas de Temuco.
Feministas Bio Bio
Instituto Mujeres del Sur, Concepción
Mesa Aborto terapéutico Bio Bio
Catolicas por el Derecho a Decidir - Chile
Colectiva Feminista Las Sueltas
Las Choras del Puerto
Mujeres Quinta Región