Mexico’s Supreme Court Blocks Decriminalization of Abortion in Veracruz

WITH A VOTE OF 4-1 AGAINST, Mexico’s Supreme Court blocked the decriminalization of abortion in the state of Veracruz in late July. The Court ruled against removing sections of the legal code pertaining to abortions during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

The ruling came after months of fervent opposition from Mexico’s Catholic bishops. The hierarchy vocally pushed to block the state of Veracruz’s legislative changes to ensure that the extension of alterations to abortion law throughout the country are obstructed. Currently, the legal status of abortion in Mexico extends up to a dozen weeks; is available only in cases of death, imminent peril to the mother’s life and malformation of the fetus; and can only be obtained in Mexico City and the state of Oaxaca.