Pro-lifers in Mexico had steeled themselves for the worst. There seemed to be enough votes on Mexico’s Supreme Court to change the penal code to decriminalize abortion in the state of Veracruz. The fear was if the Court agreed, it could lead to widespread abortion “liberalization” in Mexico.
However, according to El Financiero, four of the five justices “voted against the bill” to change the penal code of Veracruz, a state bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Vatican News explained that abortion is prohibited in Veracruz except in cases of rape or danger of death of the mother. “Abortion is currently legal up to the 12th week of gestation only in Mexico City and in the state of Oaxaca.”
Live Action News explained that a procedure called “amparo” in Mexico “allows both individuals and government institutions to challenge laws in federal court.”
Prior to the vote, the Mexican Bishops’ Conference expressed their strong opposition. According to Vatican News
“Bishop Herrera heads up the Commission for Life of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference and is the Bishop of Nuevo Casa Grandes.
Click Like if you are pro-life to like the LifeNews Facebook page!
In a statement released on 24 July, he expressed concern that the Supreme Court’s decision could have “a direct impact on the legal protection of the fundamental human right to life, particularly in its early stages.”
Bishop Herrera added that a ruling quashing Veracruz’s abortion law would have immediate effect in the state, which could eventually extend to the rest of Mexico.
LifeNews.com Note: Dave Andrusko is the editor of National Right to Life News and an author and editor of several books on abortion topics. This post originally appeared in his National Right to Life News Today —- an online column on pro-life issues.
