“Today is a historic day for the rights of all Mexican women,” said Supreme Court Chief Justice Arturo Zaldivar.
The court on Tuesday ruled against a law in Coahuila state that threatened up to three years in prison and fines for women seeking abortions.
The law, according to Coahuila Penal Code Article 196, allows the prosecution of both a woman seeking an abortion and “a person who performs an abortion with her consent”.
The apex court’s decision against such punishment is “a historic step”, Justice Luis Maria Aguilar said.
“Never again shall a woman or a person of child-bearing potential be criminally prosecuted,” he said. “Today the threat of imprisonment and stigma, which weighs heavily on those who independently decide to terminate their pregnancies, is removed.”
Elsewhere in Latin America, the Senate of Argentina approved a bill to legalize abortion in December 2020. The Senate voted 38-29 to allow legal termination of millions of women under legislation backed by President Alberto Fernandez.
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