Is the USA to blame or is it the socialist economy of scarcity? One thing is certain: contraceptives are almost impossible to get in Cuba. The result is premature pregnancies among teenage girls.
In Cuba, the supply crisis has also affected contraceptives. As the Cuba-critical daily newspaper “El Nuevo Herald” reports, the lack of condoms has led to an increase in pregnancies among girls and young women under the age of 15.
According to local media reports, condoms are being sold on the black market at inflated prices, while they are almost impossible to buy officially. Only a few months ago, the Cuban government blamed the US trade embargo for the lack of contraceptives on the island. The officially banned opposition, on the other hand, speaks of systematic weaknesses in the communist planned economy and of corruption.
Cuba is rocked by a severe supply crisis and domestic protests. Since the outbreak of the historic social protests in 2021 alone, around 300,000 people have left Cuba for the USA, which corresponds to about three percent of the population. The judiciary has subsequently imposed long prison sentences on demonstrators and forcibly deported opposition artists, media workers and activists.