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!
In this blog, we will talk about how access to abortion is part of looking at ourselves in terms of well-being and freely living sexual health.
Safe abortion access, besides being a medical procedure, is a decision that involves the assessment of physical and emotional well-being as part of the right to bodily autonomy.
The possibility of accessing this service under safe and stigma-free conditions allows women to make informed decisions about their life and future, reducing risks associated with unsafe procedures and guaranteeing their integrity.
Sexual Health = Your Right to Safe, Informed Choices
Sexual health is a state of physical, mental, and social well-being related to sexuality, and it is not solely about the absence of diseases, dysfunction, or discomfort. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relations, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free from coercion, discrimination, and violence. For all people to achieve and maintain a good sexual health, their sexual rights must be respected, protected, and fulfilled.1
Approaching a place where your choices are not judged, because they recognize that it is part of looking at reproductive options with well-being and health is crucial. At Telefem, you can count on remote medical care provided by specialists who do not question your decisions and respect your autonomy.
Sexual health: Where it thrives and where it’s denied
For people to have sexual health, they must have access to truthful and scientific information, sexual health services (professionals in psychology, therapy, gynecology, urology, etc.), and the ability to exercise bodily autonomy (the right to make decisions over their body). To help you get a little more understanding, we will leave some examples of what it means to have or not have sexual health.
Case 1 – There is sexual health
After several years of relationship with your partner, you have decided to get a long-term contraceptive method to stop using condoms. You share this decision with your partner to know if there is an agreement, as you understand that there are risks of STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) for both of you. Your partner accepts and agrees not to have sexual activity with other people or, if they do, to use protection or inform each other if a latex barrier was not used.
You approach your nearest health center and explain your case to the social workers. They ask you questions about your sexual life, and you respond without fear or taboo. They inform you that you can choose any hormonal method, and after evaluating your options, you decide that the contraceptive injection is ideal for you.
Why is your sexual health being respected in this case?
Because there is bodily autonomy in decision-making, limits are established in the relationship, access to guidance and contraceptive method placement services are available, and there is comfort in talking about sexuality with both your partner and the health professional.
Case 2 – There is no sexual health
You live in Monterrey and are in a two-year relationship based on respect and mutual support. Since the relationship began, you have used the contraceptive patch, but it failed, and now you are facing an unplanned pregnancy. You know you do not want to continue with the pregnancy, and your partner supports your decision.
You start to research where to access a safe abortion and discover that in Nuevo León, it is not legal, so you will have to travel to another state. Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí2 are the closest options. This represents a mobility and housing expense that you had not planned for. But you decide to ask for a loan and take the trip.
Why is your sexual health NOT being respected in this case?
Because the medical service that should be guaranteed as a right is not provided by the state, which imposes an economic and logistical barrier to accessing the necessary care, this is a clear example of the importance of the state’s role in the population’s sexual health.
With the option of reaching more people in contexts where access to health services for abortion is not that simple, at Telefem, we connect you to remote medical guidance so that specialists can provide you guidance.
True Sexual Health Freedom Includes a Safe Abortion
Abortion access is a fundamental element of sexual and reproductive health. Safe abortions, performed by trained personnel under technical and sanitary safety conditions, and with appropriate methods, are low-risk obstetric procedures. On the contrary, unsafe abortions are one of the most important causes of maternal death and morbidity, with short- and long-term impacts, including hemorrhages, peritonitis, infections in sexual organs, and infertility.3
There is global evidence that abortion criminalization does not prevent or reduce the number of abortions performed; it only generates access under more risky conditions for women and childbearing people. Decriminalization also increases the possibility that people will seek medical help when they have complications from this procedure. Criminalization increases the probability that people seeking support for incomplete abortions or post-abortion complications may be subject to service denial, degrading treatment, or criminalization.3
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You’re Not Alone
A safe abortion should never be done in uncertainty or isolation. Staying in communication with trained professionals makes all the difference. That’s why Telefem is here — to guide and support you from start to finish.
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* This content is for informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice.
References:
- OMS. La salud sexual y su relación con la salud reproductiva: un enfoque operativo. [Internet]. 2018. [Visit February 2025]. Available at: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/274656/9789243512884-spa.pdf
- Razo J. Mapa: el aborto en México, ¿dónde es legal y dónde está prohibido?. CNN en español. [Internet]. 2024. [Visit February 2025]. Available at:https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2025/01/29/mexico/aborto-mexico-mapa-orix/
- Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas. Comunicado. 28 de septiembre – Día de la Acción Global por un Aborto Legal y Seguro. Colombia. [Internet]. 2022. [Visit February 2025]. Available at: https://colombia.unfpa.org/es/news/28-de-septiembre-dia-de-la-accion-global-por-un-aborto-legal-y-seguro