Inside the 36-Hour Shifts Where Dr. Tahamara Frayre Defends Reproductive Rights
Dr. Tahamara Frayre describes herself as a “positive, resilient, and passionate person.” In Monterrey, Mexico, she spends over 90 hours a week delivering babies and guiding patients through one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. “I truly enjoy saying the words, ‘Look, it’s your baby! Give them a little kiss,’ amidst the vigorous cry of a newborn and the sigh of relief from the new mother,” she told FIERCE.
But her work extends beyond the medical. She sees every delivery, diagnosis, and hospital stay as a chance to bring calm to chaos. “I make an effort to include them in the process: to ensure they understand their diagnosis, what we’re going to do, and why. For me, bringing calm into that moment of chaos in their lives is essential,” she explained.
Early lessons that shaped her fight for reproductive rights
Frayre’s passion began in rural clinics, where she saw women denied care because of distance, tradition, or needing a man’s permission. “Witnessing these kinds of situations firsthand only made me wonder how, in the 21st century, there are still women who lack access to basic needs like healthcare and are deprived of their human rights,” she said.
Those experiences cemented her mission. “My mindset has shifted to seeing every interaction with my patients as an opportunity for health education — especially about their own bodies,” she explained. For Frayre, empowering women to understand their conditions and treatment options is as critical as the procedures themselves.
Male dominance and systemic barriers remain
Inside the delivery room, Dr. Frayre still sees how cultural and gender norms shape women’s choices. “Unfortunately, I still see a significant impact of male dominance when it comes to women’s decisions about family planning methods. Many of my patients don’t feel they have the right to decide, or their response is, ‘my partner takes care of it,’” she said.
Still, she notices progress among younger generations. Adolescents and younger patients, she said, are “increasingly better educated on the topic and more open to being guided about the available options.” That shift offers her hope that reproductive rights in Mexico can move forward with time and education.
Compassionate communication as resistance
During her 36-hour shifts, Frayre might see 50 or more patients. She never forgets that for them, hospitals are frightening. “The reality is that no one really likes hospitals,” she says with a laugh. “And everyone remembers the day they received news from a doctor, whether it was good or bad,” she explained. That is why she insists on explaining everything in plain language.
This insistence on compassionate communication is more than bedside manner. It’s a form of resistance against systemic neglect, a way to remind women that they deserve clarity and dignity in every aspect of their care.
Education is the future of reproductive rights
Asked what change is most urgent, Dr. Frayre is clear: early education. “The key to progress is age-appropriate education, so that we can raise adults who are informed and empowered, and who do not allow their rights to be limited,” she said. Including sexual health in school textbooks and talking about it openly, she argues, is essential to dismantling stigma.
Her belief echoes broader conversations about how reproductive rights across Latin America hinge on shifting culture, not just policy. “We know about Freud’s stages of psychosexual development and the work of many other authors,” she explained. “Including information about sexual health in school textbooks and openly talking about it is essential.”
Spotlighting Latinas in healthcare
Frayre’s story arrives at a time when reproductive rights are under threat worldwide and maternal mortality remains disproportionately high in low and middle-income countries. Her story is also being highlighted in FIGS’ new global campaign about healthcare professionals breaking barriers. The film, which features Dr. Frayre, will go live on September 16.
Her message cuts through politics and systemic obstacles with one consistent truth: reproductive rights are human rights. And inside Monterrey’s delivery rooms, she’s fighting to make sure every patient knows that.
