Mexican Supreme Court’s abortion decision expands access to millions, stands in contrast to US

By Fabiola Sánchez And Megan Janetsky, The Associated Press
Sep 7, 2023

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The decision by Mexico’s Supreme Court to invalidate all federal criminal penalties for abortion opened access for millions of people in the sprawling public health system a year after the court’s U.S. counterpart went in the opposite direction.

Wednesday’s ruling did not have the same immediate impact as Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing women’s access to abortion. But it was a dramatic change in this predominantly Catholic nation that could lend momentum to efforts to legalize abortion across the country.

Continued: https://apnews.com/article/mexico-abortion-decriminalize-supreme-court-82cd9798abe91106fda1e7afddf91c34

07.09.2023

News

abortion law reform

Fernanda Díaz de León

Ipas

Marina Reyna

Mexico Supreme Court

National Institute for Women

Mexico decriminalizes abortion, extending Latin American trend of widening access to procedure

BY FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ AND MEGAN JANETSKY
September 6, 2023

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Supreme Court threw out all federal criminal penalties for abortion Wednesday, ruling that national laws prohibiting the procedure are unconstitutional and violate women’s rights in a sweeping decision that extended Latin American’s trend of widening abortion access.

The high court ordered that abortion be removed from the federal penal code. The ruling will require the federal public health service and all federal health institutions to offer abortion to anyone who requests it.

Continued: https://apnews.com/article/mexico-abortion-decriminalize-d87f6edbdf68c2e6c8f5700b3afd15de

Mexico: women’s groups dismayed after judges dodge abortion decision

Supreme court votes against proposal on technical grounds. Plan could have opened path towards decriminalization

David Agren in Mexico City
Thu 30 Jul 2020

Mexican women’s groups have expressed deep disappointment after the supreme court dodged a ruling on a proposal which could have opened a legal path towards decriminalizing abortion.

In a 4-1 decision, the court voted on Wednesday against the proposal for technical reasons – without addressing arguments that restrictions on abortion violated women’s rights and contravened international treaties to which Mexico is a signatory.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jul/30/mexico-abortion-ruling-supreme-court

What’s the future of abortion rights in Mexico under AMLO?

What's the future of abortion rights in Mexico under AMLO?
Incoming government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador reignites debate over women's reproductive health in the country.

by Isabella Cota
30 Nov 2018

Mexico City - Mexico's new government is yet to take office, but it has already reignited a fierce debate on women's reproductive rights that could end in a polarising referendum.

Shortly after a landslide victory by left-wing politician Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in the July 1 presidential elections, his interior minister-to-be drew both praise and criticism when she declared herself in favour of abortion rights.

Continued: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2018/11/whats-future-abortion-rights-mexico-amlo-181130202340174.html

Mexico – Bill presented to legalize abortion via constitutional amendment

MEXICO: 28 SEPTEMBER AND MORE
by International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion
Oct 30, 2018

A few days after thousands of women took to the streets of Mexico City to demand the decriminalisation of abortion on International Safe Abortion Day, the party PRD put the issue on the table of the Mexica Congress. Senator Leonor Noyola, with support from her caucus, presented a bill that seeks to add three new paragraphs to Article 1 of the Mexican Constitution. Article 1 currently recognises the human rights of all Mexicans and the obligation of the State to protect them. These new rights would be:

- The right to self-determination and the free development of personality, so that all people can freely exercise their abilities to live in a dignified manner.
- The right to a free and dignified death, as well as the obligation of the institutions involved to guarantee the exercise of this right.
- Free access to the termination of pregnancy before 12 weeks of gestation, and the obligation of health institutions to ensure the care and protection of women who want to exercise it.

Continued: http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/mexico-28-september-and-more/

MEXICO – Mexico’s new government seeks abortion on request up to 12 weeks across the country

MEXICO – Mexico’s new government seeks abortion on request up to 12 weeks across the country

by International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion
Aug 13, 2018

The new government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador will seek to decriminalise abortion throughout Mexico. The future Interior Minister, Olga Sánchez Cordero, recognising that this is a topic that polarises the country, will seek a permanent dialogue with the 32 state congresses on this issue. In an interview with Radio Fórmula in July, the ex-Supreme Court judge explained that she supports abortion up to 12 weeks because she believes that women “should not be deprived of their freedom”.

In 2007, Mexico City legalised abortion up to 12 weeks of gestation, which Sánchez Cordero wants to propose to the whole country.

On 1 December, Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s party, the Movimiento Regeneración Nacional (Movement for National Regeneration), will take control of 22 state congresses. López Obrador has stressed that the greatest challenge for the country is to end the wave of violence that caused 25,339 murders last year.

However, 18 of Mexico’s 32 states have laws that give legal protection to the fetus from conception, some passed directly in response to Mexico City’s law reform, while in the rest there are disparate laws that allow only two to five grounds for abortion. Olga Sánchez Cordero has her work cut out for her, and we wish the best in it!

SOURCE: El Nuevo Diario, 12 July 2018 ; PHOTO: Efe
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Source: http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/mexico-mexicos-new-government-seeks-abortion-on-request-up-to-12-weeks-across-the-country

13.08.2018