Lawmakers in the Mexican state of Mexico approved on Tuesday by a broad cross-party majority a reform of the local criminal code to decriminalise abortion in up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, with early abortion now legalised in 18 out of 32 states of Mexico.
“In a historic session, the Mexico State Congress approved by a majority vote the decriminalisation of abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy through a reform of the state’s criminal code that strengthens the protection of the sexual and reproductive rights of women and pregnant women,” the Mexico State Congress said on its website.
The state of Mexico is closely tied to the federal district of Mexico City, which was the first to legalise abortion in 2007. The related bill was first introduced in Mexico State 20 years ago but has not found majority support until now.
Most Mexican states that have decriminalised abortion have set the allowed time limit for the operation at no later than 12 weeks. In Sinaloa, it is 13 weeks.
The possibility for a later abortion remains if the mother’s life is in danger, in accidents and in cases of rape.
According to the Mexico State Congress, the legislative process to decriminalise abortion is also underway in the southern state of Chiapas. Local deputies have already removed the phrase “the right to life from the moment of conception” from the region’s constitution, but changes to the criminal code regarding abortion have not yet been finalised.
In 2021-2023, the Mexican Supreme Court found national justice norms penalising abortion in violation of human rights as well as ruled that “the full criminalisation of termination of pregnancy is unconstitutional.”
