Mexico: Women Seeking Abortions Still Face Uphill Battle

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Abortions were legalized last April for women in their first trimester and are to be provided free of charge, however, this has not stopped a significant portion of the city's gynecologists from refusing to undertake the work or from snarling it up with a slew of hassles.

Labelled as 'conscientious objectors', some hospital workers choose not to involve themselves in abortions for ideological reasons which normally include views of a more religious nature. With almost 90% of the population Catholic, there has been steep opposition from the Church ever since the law was first proposed. Raffaela Schiavon, from a women’s health organization in the capital called Ipas told the city's English daily newspaper, The News, that healthcare workers require more education to leave behind their prejudices in order to do their jobs. Schiavon noted how the medical institution “continues to stigmatize abortion”. Susan Garcia, a spokesperson for a group called “Gender Equality” also lamented over the “dynamic of dysfunction” that currently exists.

Various NGOs and advocates of the abortion program also question whether enough resources have been provided to ensure its success, including addressing problems with equipment and space limitations. Garcia told The News that “the city Assembly should set aside more funding to create separate abortion wards and hire staff sensitive to women seeking the procedure”.

The capital's hospitals are facing increasing scrutiny in the media after a 15-year-old girl ended up bleeding to death following a botched abortion in February. There is speculation that the physician who performed the procedure did not receive enough assistance from colleagues to save the girl's life. It is also alleged the physician did not undertake an ultrasound examination that would have revealed the girl was already into her second trimester – too late therefore to receive an authorized abortion. The investigation into that incident is still pending and the city government is releasing few details at this time, including a refusal to release statistics on just how many 'conscientious objectors' there are within the hospital system. Such information may actually never be forthcoming due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Until the controversy of 'conscientious objection' is resolved one way or the other within Mexico City's hospital infrastructure, women who opt for abortion and face the stigma of their choice will continue to face a wall of opposition and threats to their health and life. A young woman by the name of Alejandra who The News interviewed for their story, claims she had no choice but to take an ulcer medication in order to abort a month-old pregnancy. This was after a social worker associated with one of the public hospitals frightened her with exaggerated health threats linked to abortions. The worker also insisted a family member needed to accompany Alejandra to the hospital and that she would need to pay for her own ultrasound. (Neither are requirements under the city program). As a result, Alejandra decided to take matters into her own hands. After taking the medication and thinking everything was fine, she ended up developing a life-threatening infection when the pregnancy was not entirely terminated.

Though private hospitals do provide abortions, the fee for such a service is beyond the reach of many poorer inhabitants in the city. Since the death of the 15 year-old girl, the hospital where the incident occurred no longer provides abortions although they continue to offer counseling and other 'pre-abortion' services. City officials insist there are enough trained medical professionals to handle the demand for abortions which, according to The News, spiked to 6,500 in the city alone.

The News estimates that prior to Mexico City's enactment of its law to facilitate access to abortions, approximately 170 women in the country die each year from botched attempts. No figures have been compiled for the year since the law has been introduced. Time will tell whether this legislation will translate into more saved lives.