Abortion foes challenge Oaxaca vote for decriminalization

September 27, 2019

Abortion law protesters in Oaxaca. The sign reads: 'Jesus, tell my mother that I wish to be born!'

Religious organizations in Oaxaca are asking for an injunction against a law passed on Wednesday that legalized abortion in the state.

Jeshúa Rangel, a lawyer for the Catholic Archdiocese of Antequera, said the church has asked for an injunction, and that signatures are being gathered for a collective injunction as well.

Estefanía Ricci, spokesperson for the pro-life group Provida, said her organization will start a campaign to punish the Morena party, which controls the Oaxaca Congress, for passing the bill.

“With their actions, they’ve lost the people’s trust, so we are going to punish them at the ballot boxes,” she said.

Rodrigo Iban Cortez, president of the National Family Front, a conservative Catholic group, called the bill “completely illegal and arbitrary” because it violates language in the Oaxaca constitution that protects life starting at conception.

“You can’t decriminalize abortion with legislation, in the penal code, and keep penalizing it in the constitution, which wasn’t changed, and still protects life starting at conception,” he said.

Morena Deputy Hilda Pérez said Congress is planning to change the constitution to remove the contradiction. However, she added that according to current Supreme Court jurisprudence, the language in the state constitution is not legitimate grounds to strike down the law.