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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 8 March 2022
Abortion access still difficult after historic Mexico ruling

By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ Veracruz, Baja California
Associated Press and Colima. The legislation
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Six remains in committee.
months after Mexico’s Su- Velázquez said that shortly
preme Court ruled that after filing the bill, public
criminalizing abortion was criticism flowed from politi-
unconstitutional, a hospi- cians and activists opposed
tal in the southern state of to abortion. The spon-
Guerrero refused to per- sors also received threats
form an abortion on a through social media.
9-year-old rape victim. She hoped the attention
The case is a recent exam- garnered by the girl’s case
ple of what abortion advo- would spur the state leg-
cates warned of after the islature to reform the pe-
high court’s ruling last year: nal code this year. “We
until each state reforms its legislate for those who are
penal code there will con- suffering in their communi-
tinue being obstacles to ties,” Velázquez said.
safe and legal abortions in “We aren’t promoting
much of the country. (abortion), we support
It was only after the Guer- legislation for the right to
rero girl’s case drew media health, to justice, to human
attention and lawmakers Women hold an abortion-rights demonstration on the Day for Decriminalization of Abortion, one development.”
and activists intervened with a sign that reads in Spanish “Neither dead nor imprisoned,” left, in Mexico City, Sept. 28, 2021. Ricardo Cano, an adviser
that Guerrero’s health sec- Associated Press for the National Front for
retary cleared the way for the Family, which opposes
her abortion last month. “They go against an inno- tional apathy, widespread makers Gloria Citlali Calixto abortion, said he objects
Guerrero is one of Mexico’s cent creature, and why impunity and absence of and Nora Velázquez, all of to using the girl’s case to
26 states where changes not against the person who legislation. She said the the ruling National Regen- push for expanding access
have still not been made to impregnated her? Where girl’s case was an example eration Movement party, to abortions. He said pass-
state legal codes following is that person? He’s going of those forces at play. proposed legislation in mid- ing such a legal reform “will
the Supreme Court ruling to continue impregnating Authorities only took notice January that would de- leave the girls more vulner-
in September. In January girls.” because the case gained criminalize abortion in the able than ever.”
three state lawmakers sub- Authorities opened an in- traction in the press, she state’s penal code up to “To really eradicate the
mitted a proposed bill to vestigation, but advocates said. 12 weeks. That would be in problem, you have to go
do just that. involved in the case said Most of the time cases line with similar laws in Mex- after the victimizers, go af-
The girl’s case roiled Guer- the other minor was not in never receive widespread ico City, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, ter the rapists,” he said.q
rero in February. The girl custody. attention and the victims’
from a remote mountain Guerrero ranks high in rights are trampled be-
community was raped by a Mexico for cases of sexual cause they occur in re-
family member, who is also abuse, feminicides and mote, poor communities
a minor. teen pregnancy. Gender where “nobody listens to
Her grandparents and an violence alerts have twice them.”
aunt went to the state pros- been declared in the state, Beatriz Mojica, a state law-
ecutor’s office and then to triggering a mechanism to maker who got involved in
a hospital in Chilpancingo, protect women’s humans the girl’s case, said “it is a
the state capital. Doc- rights. But in remote moun- serious problem.” She said
tors there refused, noting tain communities, there is decriminalizing abortion in
that she was more than little government presence. the state codes was urgent
12 weeks pregnant and it “There is a lot of resistance because there are rape
could risk her health, an in institutions that have the victims currently jailed, ac-
assertion advocates dis- obligation to attend to cused of terminating their
puted. family and sexual violence pregnancies.
The refusal became a po- against women,” said Ma- One such case was that of
lemic in the state. rina Reyna Aguilar, execu- a 23-year-old woman from
The Roman Catholic tive director of the Guer- the Arcelia township. She
Church, which remains in- rero Association Against was raped, but has been
fluential in Guerrero, voiced Violence toward Women. jailed for six months, ac-
objections to the girl having Advocates say they’ve cused of murder after suf-
an abortion. documented at least eight fering a miscarriage.
Rev. Salvador Rangel cases of girls and women, “We mustn’t as a society al-
Mendoza, bishop for the including one with a dis- low that our girls are in this
Chilpancingo-Chilapa dio- ability, who were denied vulnerable situation,” Mo-
cese, said it shouldn’t have abortions in the state in jica said. “We have made
been allowed, because life recent months after being and we continue making
must be respected. He said raped. calls for lawmakers to do
the state’s health secretary Neil Arias Vitinio, legal advi- what we’re supposed to
“committed a murder.” sor for the nongovernmen- do, our responsibility is to
Rangel Mendoza noted tal Tlachinollan Mountain guarantee the non-crimi-
“sociocultural circum- Human Rights Center, said nalization of our girls, teens
stances” that lead to sex- the issue is complicated and women.”
ual abuse within families. in Guerrero due to institu- Mojica, along with law-