MEXICO CITY: Mexico's Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Tuesday that penalizing abortion is unconstitutional, a major victory for advocates of women's health and human rights, just as parts of the United States enact tougher laws against the practice.
The decision in the world's second-biggest Roman Catholic country means that courts can no longer prosecute abortion cases, and follows the historic legalization of the right in Argentina, which took effect earlier this year.
Arturo Zaldivar, president of the Mexican Supreme Court, hailed the decision as "a watershed moment" for all women, especially the most vulnerable.
The vote by the 10 judges present stemmed from a 2018 case challenging a criminal law on abortion in Coahuila, a northern Mexican state which borders Texas, which has just tightened its laws.
It also comes as a growing feminist movement has taken to the streets in Mexico to press for change, including calls to end anti-abortion laws on the books in much of the country.
At a demonstration in Coahuila state capital Saltillo, women wearing green bandanas to symbolize the pro-choice movement embraced and shouted "abortion is no longer a crime!"
"We're very happy that abortion has been decriminalized, and now we want it to be legal," said 26-year-old Karla Cihuatl, one of the demonstrators, who belongs to the feminist organization Frente Feminista in Saltillo.
"This step has broken the stigma a little. But I believe that we still have to change the social aspect."
With some 100 million Catholics, Mexico is the largest predominantly Catholic country after Brazil. The Catholic Church opposes all forms of abortion procedures.
Hundreds of mostly poor Mexican women have been prosecuted for abortion, while at least several dozen remain jailed.
Tuesday's vote establishes a mandatory criteria for all judges in the country, making it no longer possible to prosecute any woman who has an abortion without violating the criteria of the court and the constitution, Zaldivar said.
Coahuila's state government issued a statement saying the ruling would have retroactive effects and that any woman imprisoned for abortion should be released "immediately."
A number of U.S. states have moved to restrict access to abortion, particularly Texas, which last week enacted a sweeping ban on the procedure after the first six weeks of pregnancy when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene.
The Mexican ruling may lead to U.S. women in states such as Texas deciding to travel south of the border to terminate their pregnancies.
In July, the state of Veracruz https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexicos-veracruz-state-votes-allow-abortion-joining-three-other-regions-2021-07-20 became just the fourth of Mexico's 32 regions to decriminalize abortion.
Mexico's leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has carefully avoided taking a stand on the matter, as he did again on Tuesday morning in the run-up to the ruling.
When asked at a news conference for his opinion on abortion, he sidestepped the question, saying it was up to the court.
"Due my presidential office, I can't expose myself to wear and tear, so I have to look after myself, and this is quite a controversial issue," he said.
During his winning 2018 election campaign, he forged an alliance with a small political party founded by Christian conservatives known for their strong opposition to abortion.
By contrast, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who was mayor of Mexico City when the capital legalized abortion in 2007, breaking new ground for the country, celebrated the court ruling on Twitter as a "great day for the rights of women."
"What advances there have been in progressive causes in our country!!!" wrote Ebrard, one of the leading contenders to succeed Lopez Obrador when his six-year term ends in 2024. "I'm really delighted!!"
Reuters
Wed Sep 08 2021
A woman holds a banner which reads "Free abort" during a protest to celebrate the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) that declared the criminalisation of abortion as unconstitutional, in Saltillo, Mexico September 7, 2021.
Langkah menoktahkan kemiskinan tegar di Sabah antara tumpuan Dewan Rakyat
Ahli Parlimen Kinabatangan, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin meminta Menteri Ekonomi menyatakan langkah tersebut pada sesi jawab lisan.
Kerajaan cadang perkenal pembiayaan swasta pastikan kemampanan sektor air
Kerajaan menyasarkan untuk memperkenalkan pembiayaan swasta alternatif bagi memastikan kemampanan kewangan program sektor air.
[INFOGRAFIK] Tarikh-tarikh penting Istiadat Pertabalan Yang Di-Pertuan Agong ke-17
Berikut adalah info berkenaan dengan tarikh-tarikh penting Istiadat Pertabalan Yang Di-Pertuan Agong ke-17
Menendez didapati bersalah ke atas 16 pertuduhan rasuah
Juri di Mahkamah Persekutuan Manhattan membacakan keputusannya pada Selasa selepas berbincang selama lebih 12 jam selama tiga hari.
Tindakan keras terhadap penjualan racun makhluk perosak haram - CAP
CAP menggesa Lembaga Racun Makhluk Perosak segera mengambil tindakan keras terhadap penjualan racun makhluk perosak haram di negara ini dan menguatkuasakan dengan tegas Akta Racun Perosak 1974.
SDG: UTP lahir pelajar berkemahiran, tinggi tanggungjawab sosial
UTP berhasrat mendidik pelajar bukan sahaja untuk mahir dalam aspek teknikal tetapi juga untuk menjadi warganegara yang bertanggungjawab dari segi kemahiran dan keupayaan sosial.
RUU 355: Pindaan perlu untuk praktikaliti, keadilan
Apa sahaja pindaan terhadap akta itu perlu berjalan selari dengan persediaan mereka yang bertanggungjawab melaksanakannya, seperti mahkamah syariah, pegawai penguatkuasa agama dan peguam syarie.
Kerajaan teliti kaedah baharu lantikan tetap
Kerajaan sedang meneliti kaedah baharu lantikan tetap bagi memastikan pengurusan kewangan negara yang lebih mampan.
Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Wilayah Persekutuan), Dr Zaliha Mustafa berkata hasil kajian tersebut akan dibentangkan kepada Jemaah Menteri untuk pertimbangan dan kelulusan.
Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Wilayah Persekutuan), Dr Zaliha Mustafa berkata hasil kajian tersebut akan dibentangkan kepada Jemaah Menteri untuk pertimbangan dan kelulusan.
PDRM gerak unit skuba forensik, K9 cari bukti hari ini
Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) akan menggerakkan unit skuba (Unit Forensik) serta Unit Anjing Pengesan (K9) ke lokasi penemuan mayat Nur Farah Kartini Abdullah, 25, di Kampung Sri Kledang, Hulu Selangor, pagi esok.
Timbalan Ketua Polis Daerah Hulu Selangor DSP Mohd Asri Mohd Yunus ketika dihubungi Bernama berkata proses mencari bahan bukti akan dimulakan sekitar jam 9 pagi di kawasan parit berhampiran ladang kelapa sawit berkenaan.
Timbalan Ketua Polis Daerah Hulu Selangor DSP Mohd Asri Mohd Yunus ketika dihubungi Bernama berkata proses mencari bahan bukti akan dimulakan sekitar jam 9 pagi di kawasan parit berhampiran ladang kelapa sawit berkenaan.
Dewan Rakyat: Langkah meknoktahkan kemisikan tegar di Sabah antara tumpuan hari ini
Langkah-langkah untuk meknoktahkan kemiskinan tegar di Sabah terutamanya di lapan daerah yang dikategorikan termiskin di Malaysia antara tumpuan persidangan Dewan Rakyat hari ini.
COVID-19: Vaksin tetap beri perlindungan walau keberkesanan rendah terhadap mutasi baharu
Pakar penyakit berjangkit terkemuka Amerika Syarikat, Dr Anthony Fauci memberi saranan, bagi memastikan vaksin tersebut lebih berkesan, bilangan orang yang divaksin perlu ditingkatkan.
1MDB: Goldman Sachs potong pampasan tahunan CEOnya sebanyak RM70 juta
Lembaga syarikat turut mengekalkan gaji Solomon untuk tahun ini.
US poised to hit 16 million COVID-19 cases within days even as vaccine begins rollout
The United States is poised to hit a record 16 million COVID-19 cases in the coming days and deaths are closing in on the 300,000 mark.
Bintang US MasterChef Junior, Ben Watkins meninggal dunia pada usia 14 tahun
Bintang program realiti TV US MasterChef Junior, Ben Watkins dilaporkan meninggal dunia akibat penyakit kanser pada usia 14 tahun.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita antarabangsa yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
1MDB bayar US$681 juta kepada syarikat Aabar lain - Saksi
Shahrol Azral berkata pengarah juga tidak memberi sebarang persetujuan bagi pembayaran tersebut dikeluarkan daripada 1MDB Energy Holdings Limited kepada Aabar Seychelles.
Anak Beyonce, Blue Ivy tercalon Anugerah BET
Difahamkan, Blue Ivy Carter bakal bersaing bersama nama-nama tersohor yang lain seperti Lizzo, Alicia Keys, Lupita Nyongo, Missy Elliot, Ciara dan ramai lagi.
Insentif pemandu pelancong Johor cerminan keprihatinan kerajaan negeri
Pandemik COVID-19 telah melumpuhkan sektor pelancongan global dan Malaysia juga tidak terkecuali.
Bursa Malaysia di paras terendah sejak lebih 12 tahun
Bursa Malaysia mencecah tahap terendah pada 1,320.96 mata semasa dagangan Jumaat.
Jual pesawat khas presiden melalui loteri US$6 juta
Presiden Mexico yang baharu, Andres Manuel Lpez Obrador membuat kejutan apabila membuat pengumuman untuk menjual pesawat khas presiden melalui cabutan loteri.