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A Letter from ELIGE

Dear Friends of MADRE,

We want to share with you a firm and important step in the struggle for the sexual and reproductive rights of women. On April 24, 2007, the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District of Mexico City legalized abortion in the capital city. Previously, Mexico City had allowed abortion only in cases of rape, if the mother's life was at risk, or if the fetus had severe defects.

The principal modification was to Article 144 of the Penal Code, through which a new definition of abortion was established, so that the termination of a pregnancy is only a crime if done after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Article 145 of the same code establishes that women who voluntarily undergo an abortion or after 12 weeks of pregnancy will be subjected to three to six months in prison, commutable for 100 to 300 days of community service — a large contrast to the old penalty that enforced up to three years in prison.

This great achievement in Mexico City was in part a result of the struggle of youth organizations that have been working to inform the population and sensitize the political parties to issues of sexual and reproductive rights. Throughout, we and other youth organizations reject the interference of the Catholic Church, insisting on a fully secular state that allows the voices of young women to be heard.

ELIGE
Red de Jóvenes por los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos
Mexico

MADRE Note: Abortion remains illegal in the rest of Mexico. The only places in Latin America where abortion is legal are Mexico City, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Guyana. (LATimes, 2007)