["I was like a ticking bomb": Experiences of severe maternal morbidity in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires].

With the objective of recording and analyzing women's experiences with severe maternal morbidity from their perspective, between February and May 2011, 16 semi-structured interviews with women treated in the public hospitals of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area who suffered from severe maternal morbidity were carried out. In their testimonies, women report a number of delays in care, such as difficulties in identifying the problem on time, obstacles in accessing health centers and important faults in the management of obstetric emergencies. They describe the event as surprising, distressing and painful, a perception reinforced by the violation of their rights and significant communication problems.

[Model for a comprehensive approach to maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity].

Maternal mortality is an important public health and human rights problem and reflects the effects of social determinants on women's health. Understanding the extent and causes of maternal death has been insufficient to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. This article proposes a model for a comprehensive approach to maternal mortality, covering seven areas: prioritization and definition of the problem, contextual description, methodological scope, knowledge management, innovation, implementation, and a monitoring and evaluation system.

[Contraception and abortion in Argentina: perspective of obstetricians and gynaecologists].

Objective: To explore the role of obstetricians and gynaecologists in reproductive public health policies in Argentina.

Material And Methods: Combination of quantitative methods (survey, n=467) and qualitative methods (semistructured interview, n=35; focus groups, n=6).

Results: The great majority of respondents believe that abortion and contraception are serious public health issues.

A strategic assessment of the reproductive health and responsible parenthood programme of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Since 1991, Argentina has had provincial reproductive health laws, a far-reaching national programme and strong public consensus in support of reproductive health policies. Nevertheless, the challenges of strengthening public services, increasing the number of programme sites and resisting conservative attacks remain. This article describes an assessment of the reproductive health programme of the city of Buenos Aires, passed in 2000, whose objectives are to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases/HIV and to train health personnel.

Abortion in a restrictive legal context: the views of obstetrician-gynaecologists in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In Argentina, unsafe abortions are the primary cause of maternal mortality, accounting for 32% of maternal deaths. During reform of the National Constitution in 1994, the women's movement effectively resisted the reactionary government/church position on abortion. Health professionals, including obstetrician-gynaecologists, played conflicting roles in this debate.