Revista de Direito Sanitário, São Paulo | October 9, 2011
Read the PublicationBefore the presidential veto of the congressionally approved chapters
of the Ley Sobre Defensa del Derecho a la Salud Sexual y Reproductiva (hereinafter “Sexual and Reproductive Health Law”), Uruguay had been heading toward becoming the Latin American leader in gender equality regarding sexual and reproductive health. Uruguay had a valuable opportunity to, once again, be a role model in matters of public health policy, as it is in tobacco control(1). Nevertheless, former President Tabaré Vázquez chose instead to continue defending the alleged effectiveness of criminal legislation to stop a widespread practice that does exist and will persist despite its punishment.