Puebla has become the 14th of 31 states to decriminalize abortion in Mexico, meaning abortions can now be committed there within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
The Puebla Congress voted 29-7 to allow abortion to become legal, and it followed a 2022 injunction from a district judge which declared, “no woman, trans man or pregnant nonbinary person, or medical personnel, who receive advice, assistance or defense from [several pro-choice] organizations is criminalized for having an abortion or helping someone to have an abortion.” Pro-abortion advocates had been lobbying since then to have the penal code changed, to ensure that abortion would remain legal after the injunction was no longer in effect.
An abortion committed after 12 weeks gestation could result in a prison term of up to 12 months.
In 2021, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that a law in the state of Coahuila stating a woman can be sent to prison for three years if she undergoes an abortion was unconstitutional, officially setting a nationwide precedent. After this ruling, abortion was no longer considered a federal crime in Mexico, though individual states could still enact their own laws regarding the legality of abortion. Abortion activists have admitted to lying about the number of women who died from illegal abortions, in an effort to manipulate politicians into legalization.
That decision was followed by another 2023 decision, three articles criminalizing abortion in the state of Chihuahua are unconstitutional. This included Articles 143 and 145 of the penal code, requiring penalties for women who have abortions, and for people who force women to abort. It also declared Article 146 to be unconstitutional, which said that abortions in cases of rape within the first 90 days of pregnancy, and when a doctor says the pregnancy may cause harm to the mother’s health were criminalized, but received no penalty.
The Archdiocese of Puebla released a statement after the vote, expressing its “most profound sadness” that now in Puebla, “the right to life is violently denied.”
Additionally, they said they would introduce a series of measures to combat “the throwaway culture and the culture of death” through various ministries, which will include prayer, educational campaigns, and increased charity campaigns to help women experiencing unplanned pregnancies.
