Latin American abortion rights activists just notched another win in Mexico
VoxAug 25, 2023
The Facts
The First Chamber of Mexico's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that federal criminal penalties for abortion are unconstitutional, reaffirming a similar decision issued in 2021 against a law in the state of Coahuila that federally decriminalized the procedure.
This comes as the advocacy collective Information Group on Reproductive Choice (GIRE) challenged the abortion section of the federal penal code, which the court agreed is in violation of human rights.
The Spin
Left narrative
Though Mexican lawmakers still have to eliminate abortion from the penal code in a process that could take years, this ruling is great news for those long fighting for reproductive autonomy as the country will no longer criminally charge people for seeking or providing abortions.
Right narrative
This decision doesn't come as a surprise as Mexico's Supreme Court has quickly assumed cases regarding state-level abortion bans to overturn them. The only way to effectively protect the right to life from conception will be explicitly enshrining it in the country's constitution.