 |
| CREDIT: Alejandro Cegarra/Bloomberg Mexico's Supreme Court has recently ruled that it is no longer constitutional to punish abortion as a crime. This has become a landmark decision that will hopefully lead the way to similar rulings and the legalisation of abortion across the country. The decision was brought up when eight of 11 justices voted to revoke a law that punished women with up to three years in prison for undertaking an abortion in the state of Coahuila. This included cases of rape. The other three justices joined the decision declaring these laws unconstitutional. Supreme Court Chief Justice Arturo Zaldivar said, "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." This ruling sets a precedent that forces judges across Mexico to hand down similar rulings and it expands early abortion for millions of Mexican women across 32 states. This decision was celebrated as a major victory for the women's rights movement across Latin America. Inspired by such a triumph, tens of thousands of women have started wearing green bandanas. This is a symbol of abortion rights activists in Argentina. It called for the decriminalisation of abortion beyond the four states where it has become legal up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Paula Avila-Guillen, executive director of the Women's Equality Center has said, "This Supreme Court decision has legal ripple effects beyond the Mexican state of Coahuila and applies across Mexico." "As of this moment, any Mexican state that criminalises abortion is in direct defiance of the Federal Constitution. As of this decision, all Mexican states where abortion is still criminalised are obligated to modify their legal frameworks to comply with the standard set by the Court." This concluded with the noting that the ruling sets a precedent for women currently behind bars for seeking abortion to be freed. |
Comments
Post a Comment