Quintana Roo Struggles to Ensure Safe Abortions Amid Staff Shortages

Quintana Roo, a state in Mexico, decriminalized abortion on October 26, 2022. However, nearly two years later, providing safe and legal abortions remains a challenge due to a shortage of medical personnel, according to Dr. Karen Noemy Beutelspacher Salas, who leads the safe abortion program at the Ministry of Health's Coordination of Prevention and Care for Violence.

Dr. Salas explained that while hospitals have the necessary medications for abortion procedures, such as mifepristone and misoprostol, the lack of available personnel and limited hospital operating hours can hinder access to these services. "Patients often arrive when there is no gynecological service available, or during an emergency, such as a complicated birth, which requires immediate attention," she said.

Another potential barrier is the right to conscientious objection among health personnel, which is based on freedoms of conscience, thought, religion, and worship. This allows healthcare workers to refuse to perform an abortion if it contradicts their personal beliefs, whether they are religious, moral, or philosophical.

However, Dr. Salas noted that the General Health Law states that conscientious objection cannot be invoked when the health or life of the patient is at risk. "Furthermore, healthcare facilities cannot claim conscientious objection. If a worker refuses to perform an abortion, another must be made available," she added.

Following the decriminalization of abortion, the health sector has been working to identify units with the highest demand for abortion services and determining the necessary personnel, protocols, mechanisms, and supplies needed. They have also been training staff to handle patient requests without judgment.

Dr. Salas emphasized that the legal termination of pregnancy is a human right and an option for women facing an unwanted pregnancy. She stressed that abortions should be performed under specific legal and medical conditions to protect the woman's health, including having the necessary hygienic conditions, technology, and appropriate methods, and being performed by trained medical and nursing personnel.

In Quintana Roo, the law allows for abortions to be performed up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy.