Therapeutic Abortion in cases of rape in Peru: Barriers to care under the patient rights approach

Abstract

Peru is one of the countries where unwanted pregnancies in girls and adolescents resulting from rape are most frequent. On March 2023, the Peruvian Supreme Court confirmed the constitutionality of the Ministry of Health’ Guidelines about voluntary interruption of pregnancy under the 22 weeks, which would be applied (previous approval from a medical board) to any child or teenager who have undesired pregnancies as a consequence of sexual rape. However, the reality has proven to be different and the lack of access to legal abortion continues to be a problem for girls and adolescents who need them. In this context, the Patient Human Rights Approach (PHRA) can offer a theoretical framework for bioethical debate and the solution of clinical problems under the inclusion of human rights and principles such as shared decision-making and human dignity, seeking person-centered care. The objective of this article is to identify barriers to timely and respectful health care in cases of therapeutic abortion in girls and adolescents with unwanted pregnancies due to rape in Peru and to provide solutions to these under the Patient Human Rights Approach (PHRA).