Topline
Mexico's highest court ruled Tuesday that laws punishing women for aborting their children are unconstitutional. This sets the stage for the practice being decriminalized in a country dominated largely by the Catholic Church.
The Supreme Court of Mexico getsty
The Key Facts
Important Background
Mexico City and three Mexican States allowed women to have abortions within the first 12 weeks of their pregnancy. However, most states prohibited the procedure, except for cases of rape or health risk. The Catholic Church is the most prominent Mexican religious affiliation. It has been leading political efforts to limit abortion. While some members of Mexico's left-of-center Morena party are in favor of easing abortion restrictions for the time being, the leader of the Mexican President Andrs Manual Lpez Obrador said last year that the matter should be decided through public consultation.
Tangent
Mexico is looking to relax abortion restrictions, as many U.S. states try to restrict or ban the procedure. The U.S. Supreme Court did not block a Texas law banning abortions after a fetal beat is detected. This is typically six weeks into a pregnant woman's life. According to reports, this makes the vast majority of states' abortions illegal. The Supreme Court will review Mississippi's ban on abortions within the current term. This means that a 6-3 conservative majority of the court could change or overturn Roe v. Wade. It was a 1973 landmark decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
Surprising Fact
Most Latin American countries have strict laws regarding abortion. Mexico is the latest country with a majority of Catholics to relax its restrictions. Argentina allowed abortion for up to 14 weeks in late 2017. Irish citizens voted to repeal the ban on abortion in their country in 2018.
Continue reading
Mexico has made a significant step to legalize abortion. This is according to the Washington Post, which is the second largest Catholic country in the world.
