Monreal promotes in the Senate model of humanized care during childbirth

In order to establish the adoption of measures that ensure humanized labor and birth, the Chamber of Senators analyzes reforming the General law of health.

At the proposal of Ricardo Monrealpresident of the Political Coordination Board and coordinator of the parliamentary group of Morena, it is intended that the changes “guarantee the mother to be informed about the different medical interventions that may take place; receive respectful and personalized treatment that ensures privacy and shelter; have a physiological or natural birth, considering the biological and psychological times to avoid invasive interventions, as long as their life and that of the unborn person are not put at risk.

As well as not receiving unnecessary, excessive or unsupported scientific treatments; respect their specific decisions and needs; be informed, from the pregnancy, about the benefits of breastfeeding and receive support to breastfeed; Keep the newborn by your side for the necessary time, as long as she does not require medical or special care, and be accompanied by a trusted person throughout the labor.

The explanatory statement of the initiative under study details that according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), humanized childbirth respects the rights of mothers, children and their families at the time of birth.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), the increasing medicalization of births is damaging women’s ability to give birth and that childbirth should be treated as a natural process, with the mother at the center of decision-making and should only be intervened when there are complications.

According to figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) corresponding to 2021, the latest figure available, 12,323,885 births were registered in Mexico between 2017 and that year.

Of the women between the ages of 15 and 49 who had a delivery or caesarean section between 2016 and 2021, the initiative refers to, based on official figures, 33.4% experienced mistreatment in obstetric care during the caesarean section and 29.6% during childbirth. In the same way, 19.5% of the women who had a cesarean section experienced psychological and/or physical abuse and 23.7% underwent unauthorized medical treatment. Likewise, of the women who gave birth, 22% experienced psychological and/or physical abuse and 16.9% underwent medical treatment without their authorization.

Based on the age group of women who had a childbirth in the last five years of the referred period, it is specified that those who belong to the group of 15 to 24 years are those who experienced the highest prevalence of abuse in obstetric care ( 35.5%), followed by women between 25 and 34 years of age (31.4%) and those of 35 years and over (25.8%).

rolando.ramos@eleconomista.mx