The Congress of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur (northwest) approved this Thursday the decriminalization of abortion up to 12 weeks of gestation, which adds up to nine Mexican districts with similar legislation.
The reform to the State Criminal Code to allowgo the free interruption of pregnancy was approved with 16 votes in favor and 3 against.
“It is intended that the Code stop criminalizing and punishing women who have abortions by personal decision and freely and it seeks to guarantee that it is safe and free to safeguard their integrity and health,” said the Baja California Sur parliament in a statement.
The approval in that state comes after the Congress of Guerrero (south) approved similar legislation on May 17.
In addition to those two jurisdictions, abortion has been decriminalized in Mexico City, Oaxaca, Baja California, Sinaloa, Colima, Veracruz and Hidalgo.
In September 2021, the Supreme Court declared Laws that criminalize abortion are unconstitutional.which authorizes it de facto throughout the country.
This ruling also allows women who reside in states where it is still sanctioned to file a legal recourse so that health institutions perform an abortion on them.
Additionally, the highest court approved on May 24 a rule that allows victims of rape between 12 and 17 years old to abort without parental permission or court order.
In Latin America, the interruption of pregnancy is legal in Uruguay, Cuba, Argentina, Guyana and Colombia, while El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Haiti are the most restrictive countries in the matter, as they do not allow it under any circumstances.
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