Zika’s symptoms for those infected are typically mild, but it has been linked to an increase in birth defects and neurological conditions. That has led officials to try to limit what women do in the affected regions.

In addition to declaring a “public health emergency of international concern,” the World Health Organization has said pregnant women should aggressively avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Public Health Agency of Canada and several European countries have issued advisories for pregnant women who are considering traveling to the majority of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Several Latin American countries — including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica — have made far more dramatic asks, saying women should delay getting pregnant altogether. History and experts say this is misguided; not only will officials’ requests fail to prevent the majority of pregnancies, they place the burden on society’s most vulnerable women. The numbers we have (and we don’t have perfect data) paint a relatively clear picture: For many women, pregnancy is not a choice.

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Image: Nina Matthews via commons CC BY 2.0

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