Mexico Supreme Court Decriminalizes Abortion

Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday it was unconstitutional to penalize a woman for having an abortion, establishing a path to nationwide legalization.

The country is home to a majority conservative Roman Catholic population of over 120 million people. It is now the most populous Latin American country to allow abortion.

The Ruling

The court’s ruling comes a week after the United States Supreme Court voted 5-4 to not intervene in the new Texas abortion restrictions. The Texas law essentially bans abortion, prohibiting the procedure beyond the sixth week of pregnancy. Six weeks is the earliest many women realize they’re pregnant, while some don’t know until later.

Mexico’s ruling was unanimous. Supreme Court Justice Luis Maria Aguilar said it was a “historic step for the rights of women.”

Supreme Court Chief Justice Arturo Zaldivar echoed the sentiment.

“It is a watershed in the history of the rights of all women, especially the most vulnerable.”

Mexico’s Women’s Movement

The Mexican Women’s movement has fought its way into the political spotlight during what’s been a years-long campaign for gender equality and an end to violence against women. Their protests have taken the streets and gone all the way up to the doors of the presidential palace.

The case at the center of the ruling involved a law in the northern region of Coahuila that inflicted up to three years of jail time for women who terminate their pregnancy.

Decriminalizing abortion raises the possibility of releasing women who have been incarcerated because of this law and others like it. It also provides an option for those living in Texas seeking safe passage to have the procedure.

Before the decision, only four of Mexico’s 32 regions allowed abortion. Veracruz joined Oaxaca, Hidalgo and Mexico City as the only states where the procedure is legal.

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