Abortion in Latin America in International Perspective: Limitations and Potentials of the Use of Human Rights Law to Challenge Restrictions

This article assesses the impact of international human rights law on challenging the prohibitions on abortion in Latin America. The author focuses on analyzing four significant international challenges brought against Peru, Mexico, and El Salvador. She argues that the overall impact of international human rights law has been relatively limited and overwhelmingly late. The reasons provided for this are numerous, however, attention is particularly focused on the controversies surrounded by abortion. Consequently, the author suggests that by progressively challenging prevailing attitudes, taking affirmative measures to eradicate social barriers that inhibit women, and challenging gender stereotypes can assist in developing abortion rights in latin America.