- Abortion legal status
- Decriminalized or tolerated
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: travelsafe-abroad.com, undiscovered-destinations.com
Good to know
Good to Know
- The single most useful number to save is FELCV's 800 14 0348 — it's the dedicated police line for gender violence and is legally obligated to respond, whereas 156 and Familia Segura are more geared toward counseling and follow-up than active emergencies.
- The emergency contraceptive pill is sold over the counter at ordinary pharmacies in La Paz without needing a prescription at most counters — no need to seek out a clinic just for this.
- Bolivia has had significant US-dollar shortages and a gap between the official and street exchange rate in recent years; USD figures here use the official Banco Central de Bolivia rate, but a nomad paying in cash dollars locally may get a different effective rate.
- If you experience a sexual assault, going through FELCV or a SLIM office can help you access free post-assault medical care, including emergency contraception, at a public hospital under Bolivia's violence-protection law (Ley 348).
- Formal abortion law in Bolivia is grounds-based, not on-request — legal access generally requires proof (e.g., a police complaint copy for rape/incest cases) or a medical report for health-risk cases, plus informed consent; there is no simple walk-in 'on request' legal pathway.
- In practice, clandestine abortion services are common and relatively easy to find in La Paz, but quality and safety vary enormously outside the formal medical system — anyone considering this route should prioritize a licensed medical provider over informal 'pregnancy test office' referrals given documented complication rates from unsafe clandestine procedures.
- Many private OB-GYNs in Bolivia can legally decline to discuss or perform an abortion on conscientious-objection grounds, and referrals to a non-objecting colleague are often informal rather than a guaranteed formal process — it may take asking more than one provider to get a direct answer.
- Obrajes, Sopocachi, and Calacoto are the main nomad-relevant neighborhoods with a concentration of private gynecology practices and clinics; public hospital care exists but private clinics are generally faster and more foreigner-friendly for routine OB-GYN needs.
- Bolivia's currency (BOB) has an official peg to the US dollar, but a persistent parallel/black-market exchange rate has existed in recent years — if you're quoted a medical price in bolivianos, double-check which exchange rate context it reflects before converting mentally to USD.
Street, Night and Taxi Safety
Street Harassment
Catcalling and verbal harassment of women are reported in La Paz, though usually not escalating to violence; one city-focused safety guide notes that catcalling may happen and that walking alone late at night in quieter areas is not ideal. The Canadian government's Bolivia travel advice (a country-wide, not city-specific, note) states that women travelling alone may be subject to some forms of harassment or verbal abuse, and that isolated incidents of sexual assault against women travellers, including on guided tours, have occurred. Most women who visit report no serious issues when taking standard precautions, so this is described as a background risk rather than a constant one.
Walking Alone at Night — Areas
The tourist-centred neighborhoods of Sopocachi, Miraflores and the area around Plaza Murillo are described as generally safe and well-trafficked during the day, and Sopocachi and the southern Zona Sur district (along with San Miguel, Calacoto, Achumani and Obrajes) are repeatedly named as the more comfortable residential areas for women after dark. By contrast, sources specific to La Paz advise against walking alone after dark in peripheral neighborhoods, the Cemetery District (bus-terminal area), and the market district, and say El Alto above the city warrants extra care, particularly at night. These are consistent recommendations across multiple city-specific guides rather than a single one-off claim.
Taxis and Ride-hailing — Safer Options
For La Paz specifically, guides consistently rank a car booked through your hotel with a known radio-taxi company as the safest choice, followed by app-based rideshare, then a marked radio taxi with a visible phone number and company sticker, with a street-hailed cab recommended to avoid entirely after dark. Uber operates in La Paz and is generally considered a safer, cheaper alternative to flagging an unmarked cab, though driver background checks are described as limited and vehicle availability can be inconsistent. The Canadian government's Bolivia travel advice backs the general approach: only use a reputable taxi company or a trusted ride-sharing app, and avoid hailing taxis on the street, confirming the fare in advance since taxis are not metered.
Documented Taxi-related Risks: Overcharging, Fake Taxis, Fake Police
Unmarked taxis are described as the most significant urban safety risk in La Paz, with overcharging by far the most common problem and, in rarer documented cases, a scam where a driver and accomplices stage a fake police checkpoint to search bags and take cash — one first-hand account describes two women being stopped this way after arriving by local bus at the El Alto terminal. A related pattern sometimes called "express kidnapping" involves short-term abductions, often tied to taxi drivers and people posing as police, used to force victims to withdraw money from ATMs. The consistent advice is to use only radio taxis with a visible company name, never get into a vehicle that already has another passenger, and avoid unmarked cars altogether after dark.
Practical Precautions
The Canadian government's Bolivia travel advice (country-level, not La Paz-specific) recommends not accepting offers of transportation from strangers and keeping hotel doors and windows locked. It also warns, for Bolivia generally, of reports of criminals adding drugs to food or drinks to facilitate sexual assault or robbery, with incidents most likely in nightclubs, bars and restaurants, or on public transport including street-hailed taxis — so watching your own drink in those settings is a reasonable extension of that national-level warning to La Paz's nightlife areas. For La Paz specifically, guides also recommend agreeing on a taxi fare before getting in (since cabs are not metered), never sharing a cab with strangers, and keeping a photocopy of your passport separate from the original.
Abortion Law And OB-GYN
Abortion Law
- Risks
- Because of these barriers, unsafe, clandestine abortion is a major public health issue nationally: unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal death in Bolivia, and a large share of clandestine procedures nationally have required follow-up hospital care.
- Country
- Bolivia
- Access Route
- Following the 2014 Constitutional Court ruling, judicial authorization is no longer required to access a legal abortion under the recognized grounds — a medical report and informed consent are required for health/life-risk cases, while a copy of an official police complaint plus informed consent is required for rape/incest cases.
- Legal Status
- Decriminalized or tolerated
- Legal Grounds
- Abortion in Bolivia is not available on request, but it is permitted under certain legal grounds established in the Penal Code and reaffirmed by Constitutional Ruling 0206/2014.
- Grounds Detail
- A Legal Interruption of Pregnancy (ILE) is allowed when the pregnancy is the result of rape, incest, or statutory rape; when the pregnant person is a minor or a student; or when the pregnancy poses a risk to their physical, mental, or social health, or their life.
- Abortion Time Limits
- There is no specific abortion time limit established by law for the health/life-risk or fetal-malformation grounds; broader socioeconomic and minor/student grounds were extended specifically to the first 8 weeks of pregnancy under 2017-era reforms, though the underlying 2017 penal code amendments were later repealed and the pre-2017 penal code provisions (Arts. 263-269) technically remain formally in force alongside the 2014 constitutional ruling.
- Legal Status Explanation
- Abortion on request is not legal in Bolivia, but it is not a fully prohibited offense either — the Penal Code, as reaffirmed by Constitutional Court Ruling 0206/2014, permits a 'Legal Interruption of Pregnancy' (ILE) under specific grounds, and in practice clandestine provision is widespread and largely tolerated.
- De Facto Access In La Paz
- Despite the restrictive formal law, clandestine and informal abortion provision is common and relatively accessible in practice — in La Paz and El Alto specifically, informal offices advertising pregnancy tests in certain neighborhoods often provide abortion services outside the formal legal framework.
- Procedure And Medication Access
- Approved methods include misoprostol-only medical regimens and surgical options (manual vacuum aspiration and D&C); misoprostol may require a prescription, and mifepristone has only recently been registered in the country, so combined mifepristone/misoprostol regimens are not yet widely available.
- Provider Conscientious Objection
- Bolivian medical ethics rules and the 2005 Medical Professional Practice Law both recognize a doctor's right to conscientious objection to performing a legal abortion, and in practice many providers are unaware of or inconsistently apply the formal objection procedures, meaning a woman may be informally passed between providers before finding one willing to treat her.
OB-GYN Options In La Paz
Grupo Hospitalario La Paz (Hospital La Paz) – Maternity/Gynecology Department
- Area
- Multiple campuses including La Paz Zona 14 and La Paz Carretera
- Type
- Private hospital group, maternity & gynecology service
- Notes
- Runs a dedicated maternity program with gynecology and pediatric specialists, immediate-bonding and rooming-in programs, and private delivery rooms.
Clínica Del Sur
- Area
- Av. Hernando Siles, Obrajes
- Type
- Private general hospital/clinic with gynecology services
- Notes
- Established private hospital in the Obrajes neighborhood offering specialist consultations including gynecology; commonly listed among La Paz's recognized private medical centers.
Clínica Rengel
- Area
- Calle Victor Sanjinez esq. Vicenti, Sopocachi
- Type
- Private clinic with gynecology/obstetrics
- Notes
- A Sopocachi-area clinic offering gynecology bookings, in one of La Paz's central, walkable, nomad-frequented neighborhoods.
Calle 12 De Obrajes Esquina Héctor Ormachea, Edificio Ignacio De Loyola, Obrajes
- Name
- Dr. Luciano Gutiérrez Paz / Dr. Luciano Gutiérrez Pérez / Dra. Lorena Gutiérrez Pérez — Gynecology-Obstetrics practice
- Type
- Private OB-GYN practice (perinatology & human reproduction sub-specialties)
- Notes
- A family gynecology-obstetrics practice with perinatology and fertility sub-specialization, located in Obrajes.
Assault And Violence Hotlines
24 hours, every day
- Name
- FELCV – Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra la Violencia (national police unit for gender violence)
- Contact
- 800 14 0348 (toll-free) / can also be reached via general police line 110
- Coverage
- National, but headquartered and operating in La Paz
- Description
- Specialized police division handling violence against women. Receives complaints, is legally required to respond to any call for help, and can intervene to separate a victim from an aggressor.
24 hours, every day
- Name
- Línea 156 / Plataforma de Atención Integral a la Familia (PAIF-E, La Paz municipal emergency line)
- Address
- Zona San Sebastián, Calle Chuquisaca N° 132 (behind Cervecería Nacional), La Paz
- Contact
- 156 (free) or 60146707
- Description
- La Paz municipal emergency line integrating the city's Defensoría de la Niñez y Adolescencia (DNA) and Servicio Legal Integral Municipal (SLIM), providing protection and legal response for women, girls, and children facing violence.
Familia Segura
- Hours
- 06:00–24:00, seven days a week
- Contact
- 800 11 3040 (toll-free)
- Coverage
- National, high call volume specifically from La Paz
- Description
- National free call-in line offering emotional support, psychological containment, and referral for people affected by violence, including sexual violence; service is available in Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara and is coordinated with FELCV and La Paz's Hospital de Clínicas mental health unit.
Defensoría Del Pueblo (National Ombudsman Office, La Paz Headquarters)
- Hours
- Business hours (weekdays); complaints line also used for rights guidance
- Address
- Calle Colombia N° 440, Zona San Pedro, La Paz
- Contact
- 800 10 8004 (toll-free) or (591-2) 2113600 / 2112600
- Description
- Rights-protection office where women can seek guidance and file complaints related to gender-based violence and violations of reproductive rights.
SLIM / DNA District Legal-aid Offices (Servicio Legal Integral Municipal)
- Hours
- Business hours per district office; emergency cases routed to Línea 156
- Contact
- District lines, e.g. PAIF 1 Cotahuma 2-455888, PAIF 6 Centro 2-317105 (full list via municipal Defensoría)
- Description
- Free municipal legal and psychosocial assistance for women filing violence complaints, organized by district within La Paz.
Contraception And Emergency Contraception
- Regulatory Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Abortion Context
- Legal abortion in Bolivia is restricted to cases of rape/sexual violence or risk to the mother's life; this is relevant context because emergency contraception is explicitly framed by local health authorities as pregnancy prevention, not termination, and is the recommended first step after a sexual assault.
IUD And Implant
- Legal Status
- Legal; IUDs (copper and hormonal) and subdermal implants are offered as long-acting methods through MSI Bolivia clinics and public health centers in La Paz.
- Access Note
- MSI Bolivia (Marie Stopes) operates in La Paz and can be reached to book a consultation for pill, IUD, or implant insertion via its free line 50850060 or WhatsApp; exact device pricing was not published on their public materials, so a nomad should confirm current cost directly when booking.
Regular Pill And Injectable
- Legal Status
- Legal; combined oral contraceptive pills and injectables are sold at pharmacies and also distributed free through Bolivia's public health system (Ministerio de Salud family-planning program) and NGOs such as MSI Bolivia (Marie Stopes).
Emergency Contraceptive Pill
- Legal Status
- Legal and sold over the counter (no prescription required at most pharmacies, though some individual pharmacies ask for one) as a single levonorgestrel 1.5mg dose, available at pharmacies across La Paz.
- Price Reference
- BOB 50
Approximate mid-point of a 40–60 BOB brand-dependent range historically reported for a single-dose pill; treat as a rough reference only.
- Medical Guidance
- Bolivian health authorities and reproductive-health NGOs (e.g. Centro de Orientación Sexual y Reproductiva, MSI Bolivia) advise taking it within 72 hours of unprotected sex, and stress it is not an abortifacient and not meant as a regular method.
Practical Notes
Practical Notes
- For an in-progress emergency, calling 110 (police) or the FELCV line 800 14 0348 gets the fastest uniformed response; Línea 156 and Familia Segura are better suited to non-emergency support, referrals, and follow-up.
- Reports of sexual violence made through FELCV or the SLIM offices can trigger referral to public hospitals for post-assault medical care, including emergency contraception, under Bolivia's Ley 348 framework.
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this women's health & safety research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About La Paz
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.