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  • Title: Reproductive risks. Guatemala.
    Author: Dewart T.
    Journal: Links; 1992; 9(2):13, 25. PubMed ID: 12159266.
    Abstract:
    In Guatemala, where women exert little control over their reproductive lives, maternity is a risky undertaking. As a study a few years ago indicates, over 1/2 of all births are attended by untrained personnel. This situation is compounded by the health and socioeconomic conditions faced by Guatemalan women, who rarely receive the daily minimum caloric requirement. According to an epidemiological study in Guatemala City, 44% of pregnant women suffered from at least one parasite. These women were generally less educated, lived in worse sanitary conditions, and had a lower nutritional status than uninfected women. Between 1980-87, the overall maternal mortality rate in Guatemala was 110/100,000 live births, compared to a rate of 9/100,000 in the US. Many of these maternal deaths result from diseases and complications arising in the perinatal period, usually epileptic seizures, bleeding, premature labor, abortion, and postpartum infections. In addition to the women who die from pregnancy complications, many more are left permanently disabled. Complications such as infections and bleeding often result from illegal abortions, usually performed in unsanitary conditions by inexperienced individuals. Abortion rate estimates range from 4%-18% of all pregnancies. Guatemala bans abortion, except in a few life threatening conditions, when approval must be obtained from a committee and a physician. In reality, only women who can afford a private physician can secure approval for an abortion. While a 1985 WHO report argued that family planning is the first step in preventing illegal abortions and reducing maternal mortality, the growing anti-abortion movement in Guatemala has also begun to threaten support for family planning.
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