Abortion beliefs and practices among midwives (parteras) in a rural Mexican township

Reproduction and motherhood are among the most important components of women's identity throughout Mexico and, for many women, are the only vehicles for gaining recognition and status in the family and community. At the same time, however, abortion is a central experience in the lives of many women and carries with it the complexities and contradictions of women's reproductive and sexual health. This paper presents results from an ethnographic study conducted with midwives in one rural township of Morelos, Mexico to understand their conceptualizations of and practices related to abortion and postabortion care. Overall, midwives viewed miscarriage as a woman's failure to fulfill her primary role as mother and induced abortion as a grave sin or crime. Nevertheless, under certain circumstances induced abortion was justified for many midwives. Helping women to "let down the period" in situations when a woman's menstrual period was delayed was acceptable to midwives as it was not viewed as abortion and enabled women to regain health and well-being.