Mexico’s Supreme Court has made a sweeping decision to decriminalize abortion nationwide. This ruling builds on a previous decision that allowed officials to permit the procedure on a state-by-state basis. The court has declared the federal penal code criminalizing abortion as “unconstitutional,” making abortion legally accessible in all federal health institutions across the country. The court has also ruled against bans on medical providers, including midwives, who perform abortions.
This ruling in Mexico, a predominantly Catholic country with a population of 130 million, highlights the leading role that Latin American nations are taking in expanding abortion rights. Rebeca Ramos, the executive director of GIRE, a prominent abortion rights group, expressed her pride and emotions regarding the ruling. She stated that this decision allows legal and safe abortion services to be provided in certain institutions across the country, which was not possible for many years.
In 2021, the Mexican Supreme Court initially ruled that criminalizing abortion was unconstitutional, but that ruling only applied to the state of Coahuila, which borders Texas. Other Mexican states have already eliminated criminal penalties for abortion, with Aguascalientes becoming the 12th state to do so last week.
It is important to note that Wednesday’s ruling does not affect local laws, and abortion remains illegal in 20 out of the country’s 32 states. However, women can now seek legal abortions in federal hospitals and clinics, even in those states where it is illegal. The ruling also protects employees at these facilities from being penalized for performing abortions.
Verónica Cruz, the founder of the feminist group Las Libres in Guanajuato, Mexico, hopes that this ruling will pave the way for the Supreme Court to assist local legislatures in eliminating the crime of abortion on a state-by-state basis, as legislators have failed to do so.
In addition to Mexico, countries such as Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, and Guyana have either legalized or decriminalized abortion. This regional trend contrasts with the United States, where the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 has made it more difficult for women to terminate their pregnancies.
Mexico’s Supreme Court stated that the criminalization of abortion constitutes an act of gender-based violence and discrimination. It perpetuates the stereotype that women and people capable of getting pregnant can only exercise their sexuality for procreation and reinforces the gender role that imposes motherhood as a compulsory destiny.
Some anti-abortion activists in Mexico have responded to the ruling, expressing concerns about the message it sends to society regarding the value of unborn lives.
2023-09-06 19:54:03
Post from www.nytimes.com
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