Creating Access to Legal Abortion Services for Women Survivors of Sexual Violence in Mexico City

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

3126.0: Monday, November 11, 2002 - 11:00 AM

Abstract #47854

Deborah L Billings, PhD¹, Claudio Moreno, MA², Deyanira Gonzalez de Leon, MD³, Celia Ramos, BA², Ruben Ramirez, MD², and Mauricio Rivera Diaz, MD⁴. (1) Research and Evaluation, Ipas Mexico, Pachuca 92, Colonia Condesa, Mexico City, 06140, Mexico, (52-5) 211-7753, debbieb@ipas.org.mx, (2) Training and Services Delivery Improvement, Ipas Mexico, Pachuca 92, Colonia Condesa, Mexico City, CP 06140, Mexico, (3) Departamento de Atencion a la Salud, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco, Calzada de Hueso #1100, Delegacion Coyoacan, Mexico City, CP 04960, Mexico, (4) Direccion General de Servicios Medicos y Urgencias, Secretaria de Salud del Distrito Federal, Avenida Jardin No 356, Colonia del Gas, Delegacion Azcapotzalco, Mexico DF, CP 02950, Mexico

Access to safe abortion care services is highly restricted for women throughout Mexico, despite the fact that penal codes in every state define at least one situation in which abortion is exempt from penalty. In all 31 states and in Mexico City, women have the right to an abortion when their pregnancy is the result of rape. Legislative reforms in the Mexico City penal code in 2000 defined a series of procedures to be followed in the legal and health sectors in order to improve women’s access to abortion in case of pregnancy resulting from rape. In 2001, Ipas Mexico and the Ministry of Health of Mexico City began a collaboration to create comprehensive services for women survivors of sexual violence that include legal abortion. A preliminary model of care that is being implemented in 15 hospitals in Mexico City will be presented as will results from self-administered questionnaires with health care providers participating in a series of consciousness-raising workshops about sexual violence and legal abortion. They demonstrate a high level of support for abortion in situations defined by the Penal Code of Mexico City, as well as a willingness to participate in legal abortion services when and if provided with solid institutional support and backing. At the same time, health care providers indicate low levels of training and experience in the provision of comprehensive health care services to women survivors of sexual violence, which include legal abortion, yet a high level of interest in participating in training to provide such services.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

1.Identify recent changes in norms and legislation in Mexico City related to sexual violence, gender-based violence, and abortion.
2.Recognize that rape is a legal indication for abortion in Mexico, as in many other settings, but that safe abortion services commonly are inaccessible to women.
3.Discuss the development of a new model of care for women survivors of sexual violence that includes the provision of legal abortion services in Mexico City
4.Analyze the strengths and challenges of implementing the model of care in a context where there is a high rate of sexual violence and where access to comprehensive care, including legal abortion, is generally unavailable to women

Keywords: Abortion, Sexual Assault

Related Web page: www.ipas.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Abortion Issues around the World

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA