MEXICO: Mexico’s Supreme Court has affirmed abortion rights nationwide, overturning a federal statute that previously made abortion illegal in the country.
This decision follows a 2021 ruling by the court that declared Mexico’s criminal laws against abortion unconstitutional but was initially limited to the northern state of Coahuila.
The recent decision paves the way for more accessible abortions in Mexico, a significant victory for abortion rights advocates in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. It builds upon a series of advancements in reproductive rights in Latin America.
In the United States, the right to abortion faced constitutional challenges in 2022, with many states imposing restrictions. Meanwhile, Mexico’s Supreme Court, in its latest decision, found that the portion of the national law criminalizing abortion is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced.
This allows the federal healthcare system to provide abortion services, which could become more widespread as Mexico considers centralizing its healthcare system.
While the court’s 2021 ruling decriminalized abortion, not all 32 states in Mexico promptly repealed their penal codes related to abortion.
However, recent cases have led to further decriminalization efforts in several states, including Aguascalientes, which became the twelfth state to decriminalize abortion last month following a challenge similar to the one in Coahuila.
This decision represents a significant step forward for reproductive rights in Mexico, expanding access to safe and legal abortion services.
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