The Humanized Birth Initiative
Ciudad Juárez, Mexico
"They told me to shut up and push.”
“They left me in a lot of pain and cut up around the vagina.”
“I was all alone. I screamed for help but no one came.”
Quotes from survivors of obstetric violence in Mexico.
Many women in Mexico experience obstetric violence, defined as any form of mistreatment, abuse, or disrespect during pregnancy, labor, or childbirth. This can include verbal abuse, non-consensual procedures, and unnecessary interventions. In one recent study, about one-third of Mexican women reported experiencing obstetric violence during their most recent birth.
Overmedicalization of childbirth, a consequence of obstetric violence, is also widespread. Mexico has one of the highest cesarean section rates in the world, with approximately 53% of births delivered surgically. Episiotomy, a surgical incision made in the perineum, is also routine, with some studies reporting rates as high as 95% for first-time mothers in urban hospitals. These interventions often occur without informed consent and contribute to increased maternal morbidity and mortality.
State of Affairs: Maternity Care in Mexico
The Humanized Birth Initiative is working to transform maternity care in Ciudad Juárez by:
Providing scholarships for local women to train as midwives
Offering subsidized prenatal, birth, and postpartum care
Conducting home visits for families in under-resourced neighborhoods
Collaborating with physician teams to rewrite hospital protocols
Partnering with local clinics to establish Centers of Excellence in respectful maternity care
Demonstrating the Midwifery Model of Care by co-facilitating births at our sister clinics
What is the Humanized Birth Initiative in Juárez?
We believe that birth should be safe, respectful, and empowering. By combining midwifery education, clinical collaboration, and reproductive justice advocacy, we aim to ensure every birthing family in Juárez has access to care that honors their autonomy and dignity.
Ciudad Juárez is a city of extraordinary resilience, but women’s safety, dignity, and autonomy have too often been denied. For decades, the city has been known for high rates of femicide and gender-based violence and was once dubbed by the media as the “femicide capital of the world.” These patterns of harm extend into health care, where many women experience obstetric violence and undergo unwanted medical procedures.
Families with more economic resources can often access care across the border in the United States, avoiding much of this systemic mistreatment. Families with fewer resources, however, are left to navigate overcrowded and underfunded hospitals where obstetric violence is common. Currently, there are no practicing midwives in Juárez, limiting access to supportive, evidence-based maternity care within the community.
Why Juárez?
Our Impact So Far
Creating Space for Physiological Birth: At one of our sister clinics, we are building an upright birth room designed to support movement, comfort, and vertical positions that facilitate the natural progress of labor.
Policy Change in Clinics: In our two sister clinics, we introduced a policy allowing mothers to have a support person throughout labor and birth, a right that previously did not exist in Juárez.
Reducing Harmful Interventions: We are actively lowering episiotomy rates and unnecessary cesarean sections while promoting and protecting physiological birth.
Tracking Outcomes for Advocacy: We carefully track our outcomes to inform advocacy and support larger-scale improvements in maternity care practices across the region.
You can make a secure online donation below or contact us at katie@manossagradas.org for more information on monthly giving, one-time contributions, or in-kind support. Every gift, large or small, makes a difference in creating a culture of respectful, evidence-based birth in Juárez.