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 throughWhatsApp!
If you have arrived here, you are safe now, because in your personal or digital context, you must have encountered discourses against abortion and it is always a good time to remind you that your decision, or from the people close to you, abortion deserves to be respected and not questioned by someone else or other beliefs. That is why I also come to show you arguments in favor of abortion so that you have them close in case you need them. Let’s go one by one.
1. Abortion is a safe procedure
Safe abortion is a highly reliable medical procedure. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), abortion is the safest reproductive event for a pregnant person, even 15 times safer and with a lower risk of death than a natural birth, especially for minors.1
When abortion procedures follow WHO recommendations, the risk of serious complications or death is very low.1 In Mexico City, between 2007 and 2021, 234,513 users were treated in safe abortion services, with zero deaths.1
2. Abortion can be self-managed and does not necessarily require hospitalization
Self-managed abortion with medication is as effective as procedures performed by a healthcare provider. The quality of this method increases access to safe procedures. Self-management refers to the woman or pregnant person taking the medication at home, which provides control over their process.1
Additionally, the combination of medications has a 95-98% effectiveness during the first 12 weeks of gestation.2
If you are looking for spaces that support your decision, Telefem is a non-profit organization that supports your right to choose and connects you with specialists who offer remote medical guidance throughout the country. Check the services that include professional care and the Telefem kit, empowering you to exercise your right to decide and maintain autonomy over your body.
3. Decriminalizing abortion saves lives
The WHO estimates that 13% of maternal deaths globally are derived from unsafe abortion practices. It is estimated that around 19 million hazardous abortions are performed worldwide, and 97% of them are performed in developing countries.2
Among the factors associated with maternal deaths from unsafe or dangerous abortion are the socioeconomic condition of the woman, lack of access to health services and good emergency obstetric care, restrictive laws, and barriers related to stigma.3
By 2019, abortion remained the fourth cause of maternal death in Mexico. Still, in CDMX, where pregnancy interruption is legal, from its implementation in 2007 until 2020, the safe abortion program has not recorded a single death related to abortion within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.3
The case of the Mexican capital shows that by decriminalizing abortion, the possibility opens up for specialized health providers to work or for the government itself to provide the service.
4. By legalizing abortion, high costs for unsafe abortion complications would disappear
Globally, the annual cost of treating complications from unsafe abortions is estimated at US$533 million,3 and in Latin America alone, it is 130 million dollars.4
Unsafe abortion cost the Mexico City health system 2.6 million dollars in 2005 before abortion was legalized.4 Access to a safe abortion could potentially save 1.7 million dollars each year. In this way, it would be possible to conserve a large amount of money and allocate it to cover other urgent needs, including offering quality services through current standards, trained professionals, and adequate technology.4
The impact of unsafe or dangerous abortion would be easily preventable if progressive laws and comprehensive health services were made available, with trained personnel and the availability of adequate supplies, which would save a large proportion of the costs derived from complications from abortions performed under unsafe conditions.3
For a safe abortion, you need to consider the endorsed procedures that can be carried out with professional guidance, as well as what to expect after an abortion. If you need remote medical care, Telefem connects you with specialists who help you resolve your doubts.
5. Contraceptives are not 100% effective in preventing pregnancy
No method is 100% effective in preventing pregnancies. Based on data on the prevalence of contraceptive methods from 2007 and typical failure rates of contraceptive methods, it is estimated that approximately 33 million women worldwide have an accidental pregnancy while using a contraceptive method.4
6. Access to safe abortion improves the lives of people with gestational capacity
Forced motherhood could worsen the situation of poverty and marginalization in which women with unwanted pregnancies are immersed, especially girls and adolescents whose childhood and school education were truncated by being forced to carry a pregnancy to term.5 By having access to a safe abortion, they can continue their studies, which increases the chances of accessing a better job and, therefore, a higher salary, ultimately having a greater probability of accessing a better life.
7. Not providing access to a safe abortion violates the human rights of people with gestational capacity
Lack of access to legal and safe abortion implies violations of the human rights of people with gestational capacity, including:
- Equality and non-discrimination.
- To health.
- A life free of violence.
- Access to the benefits of scientific progress.
- Privacy.
- To decide the number of children and the spacing between them.
- Information.
A law that decriminalizes abortion does not force any woman to abort, while penalizing it does force all those who do not want to continue a pregnancy to do so against their will, putting their health and life at risk or resorting to an unsafe abortion. As long as access to this service is prohibited, women and pregnant people will continue to do so, even if it is in a dangerous and unhealthy manner.5
Remember that your decisions deserve to be respected and addressed. Organizations like Telefem or collectives can help you obtain information to exercise your rights and autonomy.
We hope that these arguments will help you make different points or share why it is important to discuss safe abortion. If you want more information, I invite you to visit our blog, where we regularly share information about safe abortion and reproductive health doubts. See you there in the next blog!
* This content is for informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice and applies only to Mexico’s law and context.
References:
1. Ipas Centroamérica y México Ciudad de México. 10 datos de salud pública para entender la importancia de despenalizar el aborto. 1era ed. 2022. [Visit November 2024]. [Internet]. Available at: https://ipasmexico.org/pdf/IpasCAM2022-10DatosSaludPublicaDespenalizarAborto.pdf
2. Programa de Interrupción Legal del Embarazo, Salud CDMX. Sistema de Información de Interrupción Legal del Embarazo. Estadísticas Abril 2007 –30 de junio 2021 información preliminar. 2021. [Visit November 2024]. [Internet]. Available at: http://ile.salud.cdmx.gob.mx/wp-content/uploads/WEB-2021-2do-trimestre.pdf
3. IPAS México. El aborto como asunto de salud publica. 2021. [Visit November 2024]. [Internet]. Available at: https://ipasmexico.org/pdf/IpasCAM-2021-ElAbortoComoUnAsuntoDeSaludPublica.pdf
4. OMS. Aborto sin riesgos: guía técnica y de políticas para sistemas de salud – 2ª ed. [Internet]. 2012. [Visit November 2024]. Available at: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/77079/9789243548432_spa.pdf
5. Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida (GIRE). Mitos y preguntas sobre el aborto. 2020. [Visit November 2024]. [Internet]. Available at: https://gire.org.mx/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/mitos_y_preguntas_sobre_el_aborto.pdf