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Population Council Honors Mexico City Leadership for Commitment to Improving Women's Reproductive Health

NEW YORK, NY (24 June 2010) — Population Council president Peter Donaldson recently honored Mexico City’s Ministry of Health, its mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, and its minister of health, Armando Ahued, in a presentation ceremony at the Council’s international headquarters in New York City.

To warm applause, Ahued accepted framed certificates for himself and Mayor Ebrard reading, "With profound respect and gratitude for the government of Mexico City’s commitment to improving the reproductive health of Mexican women."

Donaldson praised the Ministry of Health as "a group that’s worked very hard to increase the availability of reproductive health services in Mexico, particularly early abortion services, which has had a very important impact on the women in Mexico City, and, by example, throughout Mexico and Latin America, and, indeed, throughout the world. Their work is truly an inspiration."

With Council Mexico country director Sandra García translating, Ahued expressed gratitude for all the support the Council has provided for the work his administration is doing. "Saving women’s lives is a public health issue," the minister noted, "and that’s what the Council’s about and what the Ministry’s about."

In his remarks, Donaldson noted, "One of the special things about the Council, one of the things that motivates us, that we’re all very proud of, is our willingness to take risks to improve health, and our ability to do this successfully in countries around the world depends on our having partners that are willing to pursue new initiatives.

"Mexico City’s Ministry of Health exemplifies that sort of partnership."

Preliminary research findings from the Mexico City Ministry of Health’s legal abortion program suggest that most women regard the services received to be of high quality, including postabortion contraceptive counseling and services.  [See "Women’s perceptions of the quality of public sector abortion services in Mexico City" (presentation abstract from Population Association of America 2010 annual meeting) and "Experiences of women who had a legal abortion in Mexico City" (presentation from XIX FIGO 2009 World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics)]

In addition, Mexico City residents strongly support the decriminalization of abortion in the first trimester [See "How has Mexico City public opinion on abortion changed one year since the groundbreaking law passed?: Findings from a public opinion survey" (poster from 2009 American Public Health Association 137th Annual Meeting & Exposition)]. Also, leading public health researchers have suggested that investing in preventive family planning along with safe abortion services is a cost-effective intervention to reduce maternal mortality [See "The costs, benefits, and cost-effectiveness of interventions to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in Mexico" (2007 article from PLoS ONE)].

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About the Population Council
The Population Council confronts critical health and development issues—from stopping the spread of HIV to improving reproductive health and ensuring that young people lead full and productive lives. Through biomedical, social science, and public health research in 50 countries, we work with our partners to deliver solutions that lead to more effective policies, programs, and technologies that improve lives around the world. Established in 1952 and headquartered in New York, the Council is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization governed by an international board of trustees.

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Media contact

Diane Rubino: drubino@popcouncil.org; +1 212 339 0617