Activists hail abortion ruling but warn of lack of access

Human rights activists in Mexico have welcomed a historic ruling by the country's supreme court that decriminalises abortion, but warned that the historic decision will not automatically make terminations accessible for all Mexican women.

- Lillian Perlmutter 

Last week's unanimous decision stripped away federal criminal penalties related to abortions - but not the many local laws banning the procedure, which remain on the books in 20 of Mexico's 32 states.

Employees at government health facilities will no longer need to worry about federal penalties for carrying out an abortion, and the ruling is expected to provide pro-choice activists with a powerful precedent.

But campaigners cautioned that many facilities and medical workers are likely to continue refusing to carry out terminations - sometimes if the woman is unable to prove she does not have the means to care for a child.

"Though this is a big deal, it could still be very difficult for people to get abortions," said Tyler Mattiace, a Mexico researcher at Human Rights Watch. "In some places, they will still likely refuse access to women, for many different reasons... We're going to have to see whether the effect is immediate, or whether this ruling really only affects the criminal system."

Mexico's congress will also need to pass an accompanying resolution to remove abortion from the country's penal code in order for the legalisation to become a reality.