Dejar pasar: the safe interruption of pregnancy by traditional, indigenous midwives in southern Mexico

Para consultar el capítulo véase el libro con la clasificación EE 618.20972 L3, SIBE-San Cristóbal

Unsafe abortion remains a serious health problem in countries such as Mexico, where voluntary termination of pregnancy is allowed only in two of its 32 states. Mexico’s economically marginalized, Indigenous or very young women are vulnerable to not having access to safe abortion. Based on a gender and health approach, this chapter discusses the extraordinary work that traditional midwives carry out in the South of Mexico to support women who seek to interrupt their pregnancies. Using qualitative research methods, we interviewed nine trained traditional midwives about their use of misoprostol and mifepristone to induce abortions. The profile of women seeking traditional midwives for abortions varied from migrant to Indigenous, from minors to housewives, and even to women with higher economic status. The midwives offered safe, discreet, sisterly attention at an affordable cost. Despite the challenging religious, educational and economic conditions—plus having to operate at the margins of the law—the midwives carried out safe and reliable work in line with the World Health Organization’s contemporary regulations regarding safe abortion.