Mexico's Supreme Court decriminalises abortion across country

In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court of Mexico decriminalised abortion on Thursday (September 7) across the country.

“The First Chamber of the Court ruled that the legal system that penalises abortion in the Federal Criminal Code is unconstitutional since it violates the human rights of women and people with the capacity to gestate,” said the Supreme Court on social media.

The judgement follows a similar ruling two years ago that stated abortion is not a crime. That declaration came after a constitutional challenge to the northern state of Coahuila's penal code, which gave women access to abortion without fear of prosecution in the country.

The Information Group on Reproductive Choice (GIRE), which has been carrying out campaigns for abortion rights, welcomed the step of decriminalising abortion at the national level.

It said that the court concluded that the federal penal code's portion which criminalises abortion is no longer effective. “No woman or pregnant person, nor any health worker will be able to be punished for abortion,” said the group, in a statement.

"Federal health institutions throughout the country will have to provide abortion services to women and people with the capacity to gestate who request it," said the group, on social media.

Decriminalisation of abortion in Mexican states

Previously, abortion was decriminalised in a dozen Mexico states, with the capital Mexico City becoming the first to do so in 2007.

But, along with the lack of facilities for carrying out the procedure, "many women don't know that they have this right because local governments have not carried out publicity campaigns about it," said women's rights activist Sara Lovera.

"That's why today's decision of the Supreme Court is important," Lovera said while speaking to AFP.

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The central state of Aguascalientes last week became the 12th state to decriminalise the procedure. Judges in stateswhere abortion has been criminalised, will have to consider the ruling of the top court.

The court gave the decision amid a trend of decreasing restrictions on abortion in the country, even though the procedure's access remains limited in parts of the United States. Some American women have already been taking help from Mexican abortion activists to get the pills used for ending their pregnancies.

Throughout Latin America, countries have taken steps to lift abortion restrictions in the last few years, which has been called a “green wave”.

(With inputs from agencies)

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