How Mexico's Abortion Activists Care for Each Other--and Themselves

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How Mexico’s Abortion Activists Care for Each Other—and Themselves
As volunteer collectives bring Mexico to the forefront of abortion access, they have also prioritized emotional wellness for those providing support.

BY CHANTAL FLORES
4 MIN READ
MAY 6, 2024


(YES! Magazine) Once a year, Vanessa Jiménez travels to the Lacandon jungle in southern Mexico. At her home in the northern city of Monterrey, more than 900 miles from the jungle, she divides her days between working as a graphic designer, running an advocacy organization for gender-based violence, and volunteering with the Necesito Abortar (I Need an Abortion) network to provide support for safe abortions.

Traveling to the jungle, though sometimes difficult, is an important part of her self-care strategy. The hot and humid weather, the rough terrain, and the level of attention it requires help her to decompress from the abortion activism she’s doing in the northern state of Nuevo León.

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Jiménez and her long-time partner, Sandra Cardona, are the founders of Necesito Abortar, a group of 20 “acompañantes” (companions) that provide support throughout the abortion process. Most of the companions receive no financial remuneration and carry out this work in addition to their paid jobs and daily commitments. While these volunteer collectives have brought Mexico to the forefront of abortion access, there is one struggle that goes largely unnoticed: the health and emotional well-being of these volunteers.

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Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalized abortion on the federal level in 2023 and requires federal health facilities to offer and provide abortion care. However, medical workers can still refuse to carry out terminations, and 20 of Mexico’s 32 states still have criminal abortion laws. ................(more)

https://www.yesmagazine.org/health-happiness/2024/05/06/mexico-healthcare-abortion-volunteer