PROJECT
Young Mexicans’ Hopes and Fears About Abortion and Abortion Law: A Qualitative Study in Two Cities
The goal of this project was to develop an understanding of the hopes and fears that young Mexicans have regarding increasing access to legal abortion. In particular, Population Council researchers sought to understand the opinions young Mexicans hold about abortion and sexuality and to learn how they feel about more liberalized abortion laws in Mexico.
Council researchers carried out 12 focus-group discussions with 20 women and 20 men ages 18–24 years. Six of the focus groups took place in Mexico City, and six took place in Mérida, Yucatán. These two distinct locations represent a diversity of Mexican culture. National political decisions are largely initiated in Mexico City. In contrast, the Yucatán peninsula and its capital city of Mérida are near neither Mexico City nor the United States. As such, Mérida and Yucatán are somewhat isolated from the latter’s influence. However, while Mérida is a somewhat provincial city, Yucatán has the most liberal abortion laws in Mexico. It is the only state in which abortion is legal in the case of economic hardship.
Focus-group participants who favored highly restrictive abortion laws generally felt that women were “to blame” for becoming pregnant and should “face the consequences” of having a baby, whereas those who favored less-restrictive laws focused less on culpability and more on a woman’s right to control her own life. Most participants from Mérida believed that abortion was never legal, despite the fact that their state has the country’s most liberal abortion laws. In addition, many focus-group participants in Mérida were of the opinion that if abortion were legal, there would be more abortions but that they would likely be safer.
Location
Mexico City and Mérida, Mexico
Duration
September 2003–August 2004
Population Council researchers
Sandra Garcia, Eileen Yam
Non-Council collaborators
Davida Becker (Department of Population & Family Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)
Carrie Tatum (Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University)
Donors
General Service Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Publications/Resources
Council researchers' names appear in boldface type.
2005
Tatum, Carrie, Sandra Garcia, Eileen Yam, and Davida Becker. "Mexicans’ fears and hopes about abortion and abortion law," oral presentation at the American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting and Exposition, Philadelphia, PA, 12 December.
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