Mexico’s Supreme Court in a “Watershed Moment” Decriminalizes Abortion

Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to punish abortion as a crime. The landmark ruling clears a path for the legalization of abortion across the country’s 32 states.

Monday, eight of the 11 justices voted to overturn a law in the Mexican state of Coahuila that sentenced women to up to three years in prison for having an abortion, even if they were raped.

On Tuesday, the remaining three justices joined in the decision, declaring such laws unconstitutional and making the highest court’s decision unanimous.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Arturo Zaldivar declared the court’s decision as a historical day for Mexican women. “Today is a historic day for the rights of all Mexican women. It is a watershed in the history of the rights of all women, especially the most vulnerable,” said Justice Zaldivar.

The ruling forces judges across the country to adopt similar decisions and opens early abortion for millions of women in the world’s largest Catholic population after Brazil.

Hundreds of primarily impoverished Mexican women have been prosecuted for abortion, with at least a dozen still imprisoned. The Catholic Church is opposed to all forms of abortion.

The decision is being celebrated as a significant triumph for Latin American women’s rights.