Mexico has decriminalised abortion at a time when across the border in Texas restrictions are tightening. The Mexican Supreme Court has ruled that criminal penalties for terminating pregnancies are now unconstitutional.
Does that mean abortion is now legal in Mexico?
Not quite. The ruling, which prevents women from being prosecuted for seeking an abortion, applies in this case to the northern state of Coahuila. Heavy restrictions on abortion remain in place across much of Mexico. It is only legal in four states, although exceptions are allowed in cases of rape or where a mother’s life is in danger.
But is this the beginning of a nationwide change?
It would appear so. Experts suggest that the unanimous decision by the Supreme Court now sets a binding precedent for judges across the country.
What has been the reaction in Mexico?
The Catholic Church, in what is the world’s second-largest predominantly Catholic country (after Brazil), has spoken out against the decriminalisation before the ruling and Mexico’s conservative National Action Party have spoken out against the Court’s judgement.
But women’s rights groups in Mexico have welcomed the ruling, calling it historic.
What is the picture in Latin America as a whole?
Cuba, Uruguay and Guyana allow abortion in the early stages of pregnancy and Argentina legalised abortion last December, with the changes coming into effect earlier this year. However, abortions are completely banned in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic and El Salvador, where women can be prosecuted on homicide charges if they are accused of aborting a foetus.
How many women in Mexico have been prosecuted?
It’s difficult to say. One recent study undertaken by a Mexican feminist activist organisation The Information Group on Reproductive Choice (GIRE), found 500 criminal cases had taken place between 2007 and 2016. But the group also acknowledged that it simply couldn’t find data for many states.
What’s happening in the United States?
The direction of travel is very different north of the Mexican border. Texas has now effectively banned abortion after six weeks and Republican leaders in another seven states are considering introducing similar legislation.
The US Supreme Court chose not to block the Texan legislation. And is also set to review the state of Mississippi’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks during its current term.
Given its conservative majority it’s possible this will see the overturning of the landmark 1973 legal case Roe v Wade that made abortion legal nationwide in the US.
What does that mean for the future?
It is conceivable that we could see people from Texas crossing the border to seek legal abortions in Mexico if the Supreme Court ruling is followed across the country.
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