Barriers to Reproduction in Mexico

8/8/2019 Barriers to Reproduction in Mexico

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Ethnic breakdown

E thnic groups: mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white

9%, other 1%

Religions : R oman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3%(Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000census)


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Country Profile:Languages: Spanish only 92.7%, S panish andindigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%,unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages includevarious Mayan, Nahuatl , and other regional languages.

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read andwrite

Total population: 91% male: 92.4% f emale: 89.6%(2004 est.)


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Life

Expectancy at Birth

Life expectancy at birth:total population: 76.06 years male:

73.25 years female: 79 years (2009est.) Causes: stroke, heart disease anddiabetes. In children it is pneumonia.

- access, resources and healthservices coverage are critical


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Reproductive issues inT otal fertility rate:

2.34 children born/woman (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AID S : 200,000 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS deaths: 11,000 (2007 est.)

Major infectious diseases: syphilis degree of risk; intermediate


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Abortion Is Illegal in 17 States


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S tates T hat Criminalize AbortionC hihuahua 1994

Morelos

Baja C alifornia Sur 2009 march

C olima 2009 april

Sonora 2009 may

Quintana Roo 2009 may

Guanajuato 2009 may

Durango 2009 june


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S tate reproductive policies

Up to 2007 Women are viewed as primarilyreproductive resources

access to legal abortion restricted to:

- women who had been raped- witch women always would do an abortion- If the life of the mother was endangered


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After 2007Mex ico City (D.F) allows abortionMex ican state hospitals only offer abortion.Only half of Me x ico City is in the FederalDistrict, the other half penalizes abortion,as it is in the State of Me x ico.

Only 14 state public hospitals (3.300 Ab/month)


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WOMEN

N A

RR ATIV

ES

As a woman I had to learn not only to cook, to s ew, and to rai s e my children, but al s o how to induce an abortion (unskilled worker, mother of three).

I made a catheter u s ing an electric cable f rom which I extracted themetal wire s. I tried s everal time s to in s ert it by my s el f and f inally s ucceeded (kindergarten teacher, mother of three).

Nobody and nothing could s top me in my making the deci s ion to

get rid o f my pregnancy . I ass umed all ri s k s involved; I did what I f elt I s hould do f or my f amily, to bring up my children (maquiladoraworker, mother of two).


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ConsequencesOf the 1.7 million abortions per year in Mexico, 850 thousand are induced.S tatistics further show that abortion is between the third or fourth causeof death and between the second to fourth causes of hospitalization inMexico.While abortion is illegal in other Mexico, the threat of prosecution isusually only a threat. But if one is caught, it is a lifelong stigma.A research study in 1992 in Mexico City determined that of 600 womeninmates in the T epepan jail, only one had been convicted of provoking anabortion. S he was 81 years old, nearly blind, and an alternative healthcare worker. (Martinez)As this case illustrates, there is minimal prosecution of the offenders. Infact, corruption ensures little prosecution. A woman pays the equivalentof approximately 1,000 U. S . dollars to secure her release from any chargesthat are brought (it is called the amparo , that is the Mexican habea scorpu s law). It is no wonder abortion, while illegal, continues to flourishoutside the mainstream of health care providers and procedures. E ven thegovernment speaks from both sides of its mouth, Abortion is illegal, asin, and punishable; pay up!


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Problems with Health CareSystem

The Me x ican health care system is sub-divided into many sectors including thesalaried sector (social security), statesector (open to all), and the privatesector consisting of many layers. All of

these factions serve to createconfusion, under-coverage and a lack of resources.


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R eality of obtaining anabortion is harsh

Doctors, who are punished for performing abortions(except in Mexico D.F. since 2007,) and thereforeusually abstain from them, are not trained. Thosethat have some training frequently do not keep up todate with new medical findings.Infant mortality rate: total: 18.42 deaths/1,000 livebirths male: 20.3 deaths/1,000 live births femaleinfants: 16.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)Indicator o f health .


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The Gaping DisparitiesBetween R ich and Poor

"The difference [in life expectancy]between the poorest and the richest

states in Mexico is something like 11yearsGeneral AIDS mortality was 3.3.AIDS mortality in Mexico has beensteadily increasing, staying within the20 first causes of death for bothgenders, since 1988.


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Policy BarriersInadequate resources

Inefficient procurementIneffective targeting

L imited access in rural areas

L imited se x ual education


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Improving R eproductiveHealth

Improve targeting of the public sector FPservices and commodities

Include low cost contraceptives in the healthinsurance

Train and allow family doctors to provide FP

commodities, particularly in rural areasSupport the growth of N GOs for wider coverage


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ImprovmentsN

eededPromote male as well as female rights to R Hservices

Design R H education programs for femaleand males In school

In health centers In the community in indigenous communitiesStrengthen male component of FP services


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Incidence Rate of S yphilis and human

papiloma virus (HPV)

Me x ico 27,011 cases (104,959,594) 2

To estimate the seroprevalence for HIV,syphilis, hepatitis B and herpes 2, andanalyze the risk factors associated withthese diseases in female commercialsex workers (FCSW) and hetero-, bi-,and homosexual men. Women arebeing recently hit by thehuman papiloma virus (HPV).


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TestR

esults in the Cities:Seroprevalence of T. pallidum antibodies was 6.5% in

FCSW. 4.2% in heterosexual men, 10.1% inhomosexual men and 7.1% in bisexual men. HB-Ags

was found in 0.3% of FCSW, in 0.6% of heterosexualmen, in 3.8% of homosexual men and in 1.1% of bisexual men. Anti-HBc was detected in 9% of FCSW,5.9% of heterosexual men, 37% of homosexual men,and 27% of bisexual men. HIV antibodies were found in0.2% of FCSW, 8.8% of heterosexual men, 42.7% of homosexual men and 27.7% of bisexual men. STDs andgonorheea, and Herpes 2 are also prevalent.


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Maternal MortalityR

atioTh e maternal mortality ratio was 47.3

per 100,000 live birt h s. Th e main

causes of deat h were h emorr h age(30.9%), preeclampsia/eclampsia(28.2%), and septic s h ock (10.9%). Six factors were significantly associated wit h maternal deat h : age; marital status,number of antenatal visits preexisting medical conditions (HPV)


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Maternal MortalityR

ates, 2obstetric complications in previous

pregnancies (OR = 28.3, 95% CI = 4.9-

163.0), and mode of delivery (Caesarian).Conclusions: Socioeconomic, medical, and obstetric risk factors are associated wit h maternal deat h s in Mexico. (BIR T H 34:1Marc h 2007)


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Research and Advocacy

1, 2010Unusually high rates of maternalmortality among poor, rural andindigenous communitiesIn 2005 the maternal mortality rate was

63.4 deaths per 100,000 live births. Inthe state of Guerrero the rate rose to128 deaths per 100, 000 live births.


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ADVOCACYAdvocacy in favor of womens rightshelps to have healthy babies to amother who wants the baby.It helped Reduce Maternal Mortalityin Mexico, from 126 death/1.000m live

birth to 22.3 death/1000 livebirth. March


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Increasing Awareness onMaternal Mortality

A new focus developed around servicedelivery and the use of state funds inthe marginalised states of Oaxaca,Guerrero (63.4 death per 100.000 livebirth), and Chiapas in 2005.

A coalition of civil society organizationhave reduced MM to 23.5%

Barriers to Reproduction in Mexico

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