Abstract
This chapter presents an analysis of maternal death among indigenous women from the perspective of human rights. It shows quantitative data of the differences in maternal mortality between different indigenous municipalities. It presents also a qualitative analysis, based on the “Three Delays Model,” of the inequalities in public health care faced by Mexican indigenous women according to personal narratives of maternal death. In this chapter, we are interested in analyzing maternal deaths among indigenous women from the perspective of human rights. In Mexico, indigenous women are twice more likely to die from maternal causes than women who live in nonindigenous municipalities. We conducted a quantitative analysis of the differences in maternal mortality between women living in indigenous municipalities (40% or more of indigenous language speakers) and women living in nonindigenous municipalities (less than 40% of indigenous language speakers) in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. This analysis allowed us to identify several protective and/or risk factors.
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Notes
- 1.
“Economic, social, and cultural rights are considered material equality rights by means of which people can satisfy their basic needs and attain the highest possible level of dignity.” (CNDH, 2012, p. 6).
- 2.
In Chiapas and Oaxaca, many people face adverse contexts associated with poverty. In 2014, 76.2% of the population of Chiapas lived in poverty, and 31.8% in extreme poverty, while 78.7% of the population had an income below the limit of welfare. In the same year, 66.8% of the population of Oaxaca lived in poverty, 28.3% in extreme poverty and 68.8% of the population had an income below the welfare limit. (CONEVAL estimations based on the MCS-ENIGH 2010, 2012 and 2014).
- 3.
The basic laboratory studies to which all pregnant women should have access include: blood count, blood sugar, blood type, urinalysis, and rapid HIV test.
- 4.
Inequalities produced by legislation that undermines human rights (unfair disadvantage) (Art. 23 of the General Law). When local laws do not provide the same guarantees to all people.
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Enciso, M.G.F., Argüello Avendaño, H.E. (2018). Maternal Mortality of Indigenous Women in Mexico: An Analysis from the Perspective of Human Rights. In: Schwartz, D. (eds) Maternal Death and Pregnancy-Related Morbidity Among Indigenous Women of Mexico and Central America. Global Maternal and Child Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71538-4_20
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