Traditional Midwives and Safe Abortions in Southern Mexico Today

Abstract

Medication abortion, using mifepristone and misoprostol, is currently considered the safest method for terminating an unwanted pregnancy. Its primary clinical advantage is that it does not require a hospital setting; trained personnel, such as traditional midwives, are fully sufficient to manage the procedure safely. Through qualitative interviews with 10 trained traditional midwives working with a non-profit organization, this study evaluates the relevance of their role in accompanying women seeking abortions in Chiapas, an impoverished region of Mexico. These midwives are typically women with limited formal education and Christian religious beliefs. They offer highly affordable services characterized by deep empathy, confidentiality, and solidarity, safely administering abortifacient medications to women traveling from various areas across the state. In doing so, they brave social stigma and legal sanctions, as abortion access in Mexico remains structurally limited. This restriction persists despite recent legislative and judicial reforms enacted by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation in 2022. Although first-trimester abortion has now been decriminalized in 25 of the 32 Mexican states, access remains constrained, thereby infringing upon the human rights of women who choose to terminate a pregnancy. Ultimately, this study provides empirical evidence of how traditional midwives safely support women seeking abortions, reclaiming healthcare spaces and fostering female autonomy independently of the Mexican state’s institutional stance.