title: [Eugenic abortion could explain the lower infant mortality in Cuba compared to that in Chile].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cuba and Chile have the lower infant mortality rates of Latin America. Infant mortality rate in Cuba is similar to that of developed countries. Chilean infant mortality rate is slightly higher than that of Cuba.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate if the lower infant mortality rate in Cuba, compared to Chile, could be explained by eugenic abortion, considering that abortion is legal in Cuba but not in Chile.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared total and congenital abnormalities related infant mortality in Cuba and Chile during 2008, based on vital statistics of both countries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2008, infant mortality rates in Chile were significantly higher than those of Cuba (7.8 vs. 4.7 per 1,000 live born respectively, odds ratio (OR) 1.67; 95% confidence intervals (Cl) 1.52-1.83). Congenital abnormalities accounted for 33.8 and 19.2% of infant deaths in Chile and Cuba, respectively. Discarding infant deaths related to congenital abnormalities, infant mortality rate continued to be higher in Chile than in Cuba (5.19 vs. 3.82 per 1000 live born respectively, OR 1.36; 95%CI 1.221.52).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering that antenatal diagnosis is widely available in both countries, but abortion is legal in Cuba but not in Chile, we conclude that eugenic abortion may partially explain the lower infant mortality rate observed in Cuba compared to that observed in Chile.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Medicina Materno Fetal, División de Obstetricia y Ginecología, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. edonoso@med.puc.cl
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Donoso S
authors.forename: Jorge A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Carvajal C
mesh_terms: D000025:Abortion, Eugenic / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000401:mortality*; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D003462:Cuba / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy