Mexican Supreme Court rules against abortion punishment

Mexico’s Supreme Court has ruled that women can challenge state laws punishing abortion, regardless of whether they are pregnant.

A court press release said Wednesday that the “mere fact of being a woman or person with the capacity to gestate is sufficient” to legally challenge local laws.

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Mexico declared in 2021 the laws were unconstitutional, de facto authorizing it throughout the country.

But according to Human Rights Watch, Mexico’s government structure is such that federal laws are “generally irrelevant” to the treatment of abortion at state level and would only apply if the termination were carried out under exclusively federal jurisdiction.

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Eleven of Mexico’s 32 states have decriminalized abortion, starting with Mexico City in 2007.

According to official data, it is the most widely used method in Mexico for ending a pregnancy up to 12 weeks.

Civil associations have created networks throughout Mexico to enable women to access medication to induce abortions.