Mexican Supreme Court’s abortion decision expands access to millions, stands in contrast to US

By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ and MEGAN JANETSKY
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The decision by Mexico’s Supreme Court to invalidate all federal criminal penalties for abortion opened access for millions in the sprawling public health system. It came a year after the court’s U.S. counterpart went in the opposite direction. Under Mexico’s legal system, however, the ruling did not invalidate all criminal penalties for abortion. Those remained on the books Thursday in 20 of Mexico’s 32 states. Wednesday’s ruling was not Roe v. Wade but means that government health providers will not need to worry about federal penalties for abortion. Millions of Mexican women receive health-care services from the national government, granting the ruling immediate impact. The ruling also gave abortion rights advocates a powerful tool to continue state-by-state work.