Abstract
Background
First-trimester abortion was legalized in Mexico City in 2007, and services are now
provided at public and private sites throughout the city. However, little is known
about the obstacles women face when seeking abortion care.
Methods
We surveyed women who obtained abortion services (n = 398) at three public sector facilities in Mexico City to identify the obstacles
women faced when obtaining abortions. We used logistic regression to test whether
obstacles varied by sociodemographic characteristics.
Results
Women with low education were more likely than high school–educated women to report
difficulty getting appointments. Unmarried women and women with low education were
more likely than married women or high school educated women to report difficulty
getting time off work for appointments and arranging for transportation to the facility.
Separated or divorced women were more likely than married women to report partner
or other family member opposition to the abortion. Women who lived outside of Mexico
City were more likely than Mexico City residents to report difficulty with transportation.
Conclusion
Education, marital status, and place of residence were associated with the obstacles
women reported. Strategies to improve access to care should be targeted to the groups
at highest risk of experiencing obstacles: Women with primary education or lower,
single women, separated/divorced women, and those residing outside of Mexico City.
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Biography
Davida Becker, PhD, is a research scholar at the Center for the Study of Women at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research focuses on the accessibility and quality of reproductive health services and disparities in reproductive health outcomes.
Biography
Claudia Diaz Olavarrieta, PhD, is a senior researcher at the Population and Health Center at the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico.
Biography
Clara Juarez, PhD, is a professor and researcher at the Center for Health Systems Research at the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico. Her work focuses on using qualitative methods and applied anthropology to research public health.
Biography
Sandra G. Garcia, ScM, ScD, is Mexico Country Director for the Population Council, an international organization committed to improving the health of the world's most vulnerable populations. Sandy implements and oversees the Council's public health research in Latin America.
Biography
Patricio Sanhueza Smith, MD, is the Reproductive Health Coordinator of the Mexico City Ministry of Health.
Biography
Cynthia Harper, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. Her work focuses on women's reproductive health in low-resource settings and among vulnerable populations in the United States.
Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
February 11,
2011
Received in revised form:
February 11,
2011
Received:
October 23,
2010
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
