Abortion in Mexico

Abortion in Mexico is allowed at the national level for cases of rape, health conditions or fetal defects. Only two states (Morelos and Yucatán) and Mexico City have specific provisions expanding these cases. According to Human Rights Watch, in many states rape victims are denied access to legal abortion.

State laws on abortion
Currently, Mexico City allows abortions in the cases of birth defects, undesired artificial insemination, economic reasons, when the woman already has three children, the pregnancy would cause life danger and rape. Cases of rape are quickly attended to and the local government in Mexico City provides a 24-hour hotline giving information to rape victims on how to proceed.

On April 24, 2007, the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District voted to allow abortion without the above restrictions during the first 12 weeks. The public debate about this law has sparked fierce opposition from pro-life organizations, conservative politicians and Roman Catholic Church officials. The National Action Party released TV spots where abortion is criticized and the Assembly of the Federal District urged to vote against it, one featured popular comedian Chespirito (who claims his mother chose to continue the pregnancy when she risked death) and another one featured an actor portraying a Supreme Court judge condemning a woman to abortion and an unborn fetus and a voice claiming the PRI and PRD want to kill it. The Supreme Court then raised an objection with the Federal Electoral Institute. Likewise, many pro-choice and human rights groups have given their support for the proposed law. A spot in response to the one feature Chespirito was aired with a young girl speaking about wishing for the choice Chespirito mother had when she was not allowed to terminate her pregnancy after a rape in the PAN-governed state of Baja California.

The state of Yucatán has a provision which allows for abortion due to socioeconomical reasons if the woman already has three children.

In 2007, the subject of abortion in provincial Mexico was explored in a documentary film entitled Aborto Sin Pena. The film explores abortion in three Mexican states from the viewpoint of women who have themselves chosen to end their pregnancies. In stark contrast to common prejudices in Mexico, the experiences of these women were overwhelmingly positive.

Public opinion

 * In a May 2005 Consulta Mitofsky survey, when asked, "Would you agree or disagree with the legalization of abortion in Mexico?", 51% of polltakers said that they woud disagree, 47.9% said that they would agree, and 1.1%  said that they were unsure.
 * A November 2005 IMO survey found that 73.4% of Mexicans think abortion should not be legalized while 11.2% think it should.
 * A January 2007 Consulta Mitofsky poll examined attitudes toward birth control methods in Mexico, asking, "Currently, there are many methods meant to prevent or terminate a pregnancy. In general, do you agree with the following methods?" 32.1% of respondents stated that they agreed with abortion.
 * A March 2007 Parametría survey compared the opinions of people living in Mexico City with those living throughout the rest of the country, asking, "Do you agree or disagree with allowing women to have an abortion without being penalized, if the procedure takes place within the first 14 weeks of a pregnancy?" In Mexico City, 44% said they "agree", 38% that they "disagree", 14% that "neither" agree nor disagree, and 3% that they are "not sure". Throughout the rest of Mexico, 58% of those surveyed said that they "disagree", 23% that they "agree", 15% that they "neither" agree nor disagree, and 4% that they are "not sure".