Mexico's Supreme Court has unanimously ruled to decriminalise abortion. The ruling called the existing federal ban on abortion "unconstitutional" and that it violates women's rights.
In 2020, Argentina legalised the procedure and Colombia, a highly conservative country, legalised it in 2022. However, in 12 states in Mexico, abortion is still considered illegal. Wednesday’s ruling came two years after the court ordered the northern state of Coahuila to remove sanctions for abortion from its criminal code, The Guardian reported.
GIRE, a Mexico City-based reproductive rights organisation had been campaigning for years for reform in abortion laws. GIRE had brought the test case against the Mexican state as part of the campaign.
Mexican women posted green heart emojis, in a reference to Latin America’s burgeoning feminist movement, on social media to celebrate the ruling. Several others in the largely conservative country decried the ruling. For the ruling to become a law, Mexico’s two congressional chambers will need to come together to pass an accompanying law and eliminate abortion from the country’s penal code.
The change in Mexico comes a year after the US Supreme Court overturned federal abortion rights, guaranteed by Roe v. Wade. This could give more incentive to women from South of America to travel to Latin American nations like Mexico for healthcare.
The ruling protects women and healthcare givers from criminal charges for seeking or providing abortion care. The ruling is a major victory for feminists in Mexico who have, for decades marched against atrocities like femicide, sexual assault and domestic violence.