Hi, and welcome to Telefem! It’s so nice to meet you! If this is your first time here, we want to tell you that you’re in a safe space, full of trust. We are here to answer all your questions and provide you with trustworthy information regarding safe abortion in Mexico. Let me introduce you to one of our articles, and if you still have questions, feel free to contact us through WhatsApp!
On this occasion, I’m going to tell you about the terms safe abortion, VIP (Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy), unsafe abortion, and curettage. Are they all the same? What’s the difference? How can I have a legal termination of pregnancy? Here we will resolve these doubts. Let’s begin!
Which is the correct term: safe abortion, VIP, or just abortion?
Suppose we take the definition from a medical point of view. Abortion is the termination, spontaneous or induced, of a pregnancy before 22 complete weeks of gestation or when the product weighs less than 500 grams.1 The definition itself does not have a bad or negative judgment. The problem appears when we see abortion from a legal perspective. In the penal codes, there are different definitions for the word abortion, but in most cases, it is used to designate the crime of interrupting a pregnancy.
Since the word “abortion” has been widely used to describe a crime in the penal codes, the expression “interruption of pregnancy” arose to diminish the stigma of induced abortion in the legal permissiveness in various countries. In many countries, expressions such as safe abortion and Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy are used.2
What is the difference between safe abortion and VIP?
The differences lie in the country where the terms are used; each penal code can define them differently. I’ll tell you a little about the description according to each country:
-Safe abortion: In Mexico, safe abortion is used to describe the interruption of pregnancy before 12 weeks of pregnancy, that is, abortion by decision. In Argentina, safe abortion is induced abortion decriminalized in cases of rape and danger to life or health.2
-Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy (VIP): In Mexico, VIP is used to describe the rights of victims of sexual violence. In Argentina and Uruguay, VIP induced abortion on demand in the first weeks of pregnancy has been decriminalized in the Penal Code. In Chile, VIP is induced abortion in the three causes decriminalized in the Penal Code. Finally, in Colombia, VIP is called any induced abortion within the legal framework, either by request up to 24 weeks or due to causes after 24 weeks.
Why should I know about safe abortion?
You must know about safe abortion, regardless of your gender, as it is a right of women and childbearing people. It is a right to have updated, truthful, complete, scientific, and secular information about sexuality to make free decisions about our lives. It is also a right to access sexual and reproductive health services, which include access to a safe abortion.3
How can someone access a safe abortion care in Mexico?
According to a ruling by the Supreme Court in 2021, in Mexico, no woman or childbearing person may be judged or convicted for having an abortion. However, most states have not yet enacted legislation to access this procedure.3
As of today (October 2024), we can divide the states of Mexico into three situations according to the legal status of abortion:3
–Safe Abortion. In these states, safe abortion is permitted, mostly up to 12 weeks of gestation: Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, CDMX, Coahuila, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, and Veracruz, except for Sinaloa, whose limit is 13 weeks.
-In Nayarit, Yucatan, and Zacatecas, abortion has been decriminalized via judicial means after the courts ordered Congress to eliminate it from the Local Penal Code, but that modification has not yet happened. This means that this right still cannot be exercised freely and voluntarily.
–Prohibited with exceptions. In these states, abortion by decision is prohibited: Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Durango, State of Mexico, Guanajuato, Morelos, Nuevo León, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, and Tlaxcala. The only way to access one is if any of the causes in its Penal Code are met. The most common factors are rape, danger of death for the childbearing person, involuntary abortion, severe fetal malformations, and non-consented artificial insemination.
If I live in a state where abortion is not allowed, do I have options?
Suppose you live in a state where safe abortion does not exist. In that case, you can request an amparo (since it is permitted at the federal level), or you can travel to a state where it is allowed and return to where you reside after the process, if you have the resources.
It is also essential to consider that NOM 046 indicates that in cases of rape, the interruption of pregnancy is permitted in all states of the country and there is no gestational week limit to carry out the procedure.
Health institutions are obliged to provide the service of Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy (VIP) regardless of the legal status of abortion in the local legal system; in the same way, it is not necessary to file a prior complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office to receive the service.4
Another option is to do it by yourself with the use of medications and with professional advice that monitors your process. In Mexico, you have Telefem, which connects you with specialists who guide you in the process of interrupting your pregnancy up to the 10th week of gestation, so you can do it remotely and from your home.
If I am underage, can I have a safe abortion?
Yes, it is your right. According to the current legal framework in Mexico, health services must provide safe abortion services to girls and adolescents who request them. In addition, Official Standard 047 indicates that care must be provided to prevent unplanned pregnancy in the population aged 10 to 19 years, which includes education, care, and advice regarding pregnancy and its interruption.5
If you are a minor and want to interrupt a pregnancy, at Telefem we also connect you with specialists who provide you with medical guidance to carry out a safe, empathetic abortion procedure with accompaniment, as long as a legal guardian over the age of majority signs an informed consent with you. This does not necessarily have to be your father or mother; it can be a family member or friend.
What are the methods used to perform safe abortion?
Safe abortion is most recommended with these two methods:
With combined medications. Misoprostol + mifepristone.
1. For abortions, up to 12 weeks.
2. The whole process can take several days of bleeding.
3. Oral analgesics can be used to reduce pain.
4. A visit to a health clinic is not necessary (up to 10 weeks of pregnancy).
5. It is easy to carry it out from your home.
Endouterine aspiration.
1. For abortions, from 4 to 12 weeks.
2. The process is outpatient.
3. For pain management, there are options for different intensities.
4. It is necessary for a gynecologist to perform it in a clinic equipped with an operating room.
5. Medium accessibility, as it requires the use of surgical equipment and the care of a health professional.
I hope that your doubts about safe abortion have been sent on with this blog. Remember that if you are looking to carry out a legal interruption of pregnancy, at Telefem we direct you to specialists who can advise you in a self-managed process. Consider it a safe space that respects your decisions and supports you.
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* This content is for informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice and applies only to Mexico’s law and context.
References:
- Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos. 2016. Cartilla de derechos sexuales de adolescentes y jóvenes. Segunda edición. [Internet]. [Visit October 2024]. Available at: https://www.cndh.org.mx/sites/all/doc/programas/vih/divulgacion/cartillas/cartilla-derechos-sexuales-adolescentes-jovenes.pdf
- SEGOB. 2022. Lineamiento Técnico para el aborto seguro en México. [Internet]. [Visit October 2024]. Available at: https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/779301/V2-FINAL_Interactivo_22NOV_22-Lineamiento_te_cnico_aborto.pdf
- Red Jurídica de CLACAI /Consorcio Latinoamericano contra el aborto inseguro. 2023. Los tiempos del aborto. Términos y otros asuntos clave. [Internet]. [Visit October 2024]. Available at: https://www.clacaidigital.info/bitstream/handle/123456789/2140/Los%20Tiempos%20del%20Aborto%2025.10.23.pdf?sequence=6&isAllowed=y
- Razo J. 2024. Mapa: el aborto en México, ¿dónde es legal y dónde está prohibido? CNN en español. [Internet]. [Visit October 2024]. Available at: https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2024/10/11/mapa-el-aborto-en-mexico-donde-es-legal-y-donde-esta-prohibido/
- Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-046-SSA2-2005. Violencia familiar, sexual y contra las mujeres. Criterios para la prevención y atención. [Internet]. [Visit October 2024]. Available at: https://www.cndh.org.mx/doctr/2016/jur/a70/01/jur-20170331-nor19.pdf