Neglected indigenous woman gives birth outside hospital
An indigenous Mazatec woman gave birth on the grass outside a hospital in Oaxaca last week, having been refused medical attention, purportedly because she did not speak adequate Spanish.
Experiencing labor pains, Irma Lopez Aurelio went with her husband to a public health center in Jalapa de Diaz, Oaxaca, last Tuesday. The hospital was in a state of partial strike, but Lopez tried to tell the staff that were present that she had been experiencing contractions for hours and was fully dilated.
The doctors reportedly asked her some questions but refused to help her, arguing that they did not understand her imperfect Spanish and were not sure what was happening, despite her obvious condition. Lopez waited for two hours but received no help from the nurses or administrative staff and in the early hours of Wednesday morning she gave birth without medical assistance on the hospital lawn.
Eyewitnesses photographed the incident and an image of Lopez still connected by the umbilical cord to her 5.3-pound son soon went viral on social networks Facebook and Twitter.
In response to accusations of institutional racism and negligence, the Oaxaca state government issued a statement affirming that it had ordered “an impartial and thorough investigation of the medical staff at the Jalapa de Diaz Health Center, to determine responsibility for the alleged medical malpractice in the process of attending to Irma Aurelio Lopez, who gave birth to a child the morning of Wednesday October 3.”
The National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH) has filed a complaint and is requesting information from the authorities as it seeks evidence proving the violation of Lopez’s human rights. “The right to health protection is a fundamental right for people belonging to an indigenous group, particularly for women during pregnancy,” the CNDH affirmed.
Jalisco wins National Wheelchair Games
With 64 medals – 32 gold, 16 silver and 16 bronze – Jalisco’s disabled sportsmen and women triumphed in the 40th National Wheelchair Games held in Guadalajara last week.
The State of Mexico came second with 63 medals, while Veracruz finished third with 36 medals. Around 700 disabled athletes competed in nine disciplines throughout the five-day competition.
“These National Wheelchair Games were aimed at giving (the athletes) the opportunity to develop, enhance their competitiveness and demonstrate their capabilities to everyone in Mexico,” said Jalisco’s First Lady Lorena Arriaga, who presides over the state Family Development Agency (DIF), at Saturday’s closing ceremony. Arraiga praised the games as “a show of the bravery, tenacity and human qualities of disabled people,” adding that “the athletes that honored us with their presence have left us with a clear message: we must keep working to ensure that all people have the opportunity to develop themselves to the fullest.”
Students mark 45th anniversary of Tlatelolco massacre
The demonstrators marched along Avenida Alcalde shouting “never forget or forgive,” while others in Zapopan defiled a statue of former President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, daubing the bust with red paint to symbolize the blood of the hundreds or even thousands of leftist student protestors gunned down by Mexican soldiers on October 2, 1968.
After a summer of rising tensions, Ordaz ordered troops to quash a huge student protest in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, just days before Mexico City was due to host the 1968 Olympic Games. The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) government then covered up the incident and the full extent of the atrocity has only come to light in the 45 years that have passed.
Yesterday I came across this brief but moving documentary about the massacre. It’s in Spanish but with English subtitles. Well worth watching.
The Tequila Files 