Women's rights advocates denounce the government's recommendations to avoid pregnancy saying the move is irresponsible and unfair to women.

Tarah Demant, Senior Director of the Identity and Discrimination Unit at Amnesty International, said, "You're asking women to make a choice that sounds logical from a health perspective, but it's not a real choice." She also added that asking women not to get pregnant is like "putting women in an impossible place."

According to The Guardian, women's rights advocates also added that most pregnancies recorded in the region are unplanned. In fact, based from a study published in 2014 by Guttmacher Institute, 56 percent of the pregnancies in Latin America and Caribbean States are unintended.

The World Health Organization showed that in Latin America, 18 percent of births are to teenage mothers. That's why most of these Latinas don't have access to contraception and information or other option which can help them terminate pregnancy. Besides, oftentimes emergency contraception is difficult to access, sometimes expensive or even illegal.

"In many rural areas men and women do not have easy access to contraceptives and many pregnancies, especially in teens, are the product of sexual violence and abuse," said Paula Avila-Guillen, an advocacy adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean.

As reported by Time, Health officials from Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador and other countries which are greatly affected by Zika, have recommended women to postpone their plans of getting pregnant. El Salvador even went further by suggesting their women to avoid pregnancy for at least 2 years. With the fear of spreading Zika virus and increasing cases of babies born with severe brain defects, the health officials came to this desperate resort. According to them, it is the best way for everyone to avoid the worst effects of the virus.

"I believe it's a good way to communicate the risk, to tell people that there could be serious consequences," said Alejandro Gaviria, Colombia's current Minister of Health and Social Protection.

Pan-American Health Organization also added that the decision of avoiding pregnancy still lies in the hands of the women, her partner and the healthcare provider assisting her.

Meanwhile, Mexico has said that there is still no justification for their women to avoid pregnancy. Pablo Kuri, deputy minister for prevention and health promotion, said that "We'll have to see in the future, given the experiences in Central and South America, if these types of recommendations really have any effect."