Somehow I don’t think this is going to be too successful (boldface mine):
El Salvador is taking an unprecedented step in its bid to prevent kids from developing birth defects caused by the Zika virus — urging women to avoid getting pregnant until 2018.
Health officials made the announcement after nearly 5,400 cases of the mosquito-borne illness were detected in the Central American nation.
“We’d like to suggest to all the women of fertile age that they take steps to plan their pregnancies, and avoid getting pregnant between this year and next,” said Deputy Health Minister Eduardo Espinoza.
Avoiding the birth defects that are linked to Zika virus would probably be easier if the Procedure That Shall Not Be Named were an option. However, El Salvador arguably has some of the most draconian anti-abortion laws in the world, which led to the imprisonment of over 100 women between 2000 – 2011 for the ‘crime’ of having a miscarriage.
As I’ve noted repeatedly, Zika virus is going to force a lot of countries–including the U.S.*–to rethink their abortion regulations.
Because not fucking for two years really isn’t an option.
*All of the stories describing the CDC travel advisories inexplicably treat Puerto Rico as a foreign country even though it’s a U.S. territory whose citizens carry U.S. passports. Not. Connecting. The. Dots.
mikethemadbiologist
Is the delay wishful thinking towards an end to the current levels of infection, or are we imagining that within two years everyone will have been exposed and thus be immune? It could be like mumps and rubella pre-vaccine — be sure you’re exposed as a child when the consequences are (usually) low.