Why Abortion Should Be Seen as Healthcare: NGO Calls for Removal of Restrictions

BTN News: The path to getting an abortion in Mexico is still complex. Each state has its own rules for when women can legally end a pregnancy. Health groups like the World Health Organization (WHO) and Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida (GIRE) say these rules should be removed. They want abortion to be seen as a basic healthcare service, not a legal issue with many restrictions.

Melissa Ayala, who works with GIRE, says removing these restrictions is important. “Both GIRE and the WHO think the rules make it hard to get an abortion. If we want to regulate it, we should take out these rules from the Federal Penal Code and create a health regulation instead,” Ayala told EL UNIVERSAL.

Thanks to feminist groups, many states have started to allow abortions up to the 12th week of pregnancy. Puebla joined this list on Monday, July 15. But there are still some legal reasons that allow women to get an abortion without being charged with a crime.

These reasons are listed in each state’s penal codes. This makes it so that women’s rights to an abortion depend on where they live. This creates a situation where the law is unfair, and some women have more rights than others.

In Mexico, there are 11 reasons why women can get an abortion without facing criminal charges:

1. Rape: This reason is in the Federal Penal Code and in the penal codes of all 32 states.
2. Unintentional or Negligent Acts: Allowed in the Federal Penal Code and in 29 states, except for Chiapas, Nuevo León, and Tabasco.
3. Danger to Life: Allowed by the Federal Penal Code and in 25 states, but not in Baja California, Campeche, Chihuahua, Mexico City, Guanajuato, Michoacán, and Querétaro.
4. Severe Fetal Abnormalities: Allowed in 18 states including Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chiapas, Mexico City, Coahuila, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Michoacán, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, and Yucatán.
5. Health Risks: Allowed in 20 states including Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chihuahua, Mexico City, Coahuila, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, and Zacatecas.
6. Non-consensual Artificial Insemination: Allowed in 17 states including Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Mexico City, Coahuila, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Michoacán, Morelos, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Tabasco, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, and Yucatán.
7. Economic Reasons: Allowed in Michoacán and Yucatán. Enrique Arcipreste, a GIRE lawyer, says this rule makes it very hard for women because health workers are not trained to check their finances.
8. Woman’s Choice: Allowed in Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Mexico City, Coahuila, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, and Veracruz.
9. Authority Denial: Allowed in Baja California Sur, Colima, and Guerrero. This rule lets women get an abortion after 12 weeks if they were denied one before.

While these rules exist, access to abortion is different across the country. Advocates like Ayala and groups like GIRE and WHO call for one set of rules. They want abortion to be treated as healthcare and ensure all women have the same rights, no matter where they live.