Mexico approves law decriminalizing abortion

The Supreme Court in Mexico has made it clear that it will no longer criminalize abortion. 

A new ruling will be applied across all 32 states in Mexico declaring that abortion is legalized in the country.

The new law comes two years after the court ruled in favor of a challenge to the existing law in the northern state of Coahuila.

The head of the supreme court, Arturo Zaldívar added: “In cases of rape, no girl can be forced to become a mother – neither by the state nor by her parents nor her guardians.”

^{A banner that reads “Ban abortion from the penal code” is seen during a march in support of women’s rights in the framework of International Women’s Day at the Zocalo square in Mexico City on March 8, 2023. (Photo by RODRIGO ARANGUA / AFP)}

Zaldívar maintained: “Here, the violation of her rights is more serious, not only because of her status as a victim, but also because of her age, which makes it necessary to analyse the issue from the perspective of the best interests of minors.”

The new ruling has gained cheering chants from women’s rights activists in Mexico and worldwide who said that it was the best decision the Supreme Court in Mexico has made in years.

Meanwhile, Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements criticized the new ruling that suggests decriminalizing abortion across Mexico.