Saturday, August 23, 2025

Veracruz Congress votes to decriminalize abortion

Mexico‘s southeastern state of Veracruz will become the fourth state in the predominantly Roman Catholic country to clear away criminal penalties for elective abortion after lawmakers on Tuesday voted to decriminalize the procedure.

The initiative to allow abortions by choice passed in a 25-13 vote with one abstention, Veracruz’s Congress said in a statement.

The state will join Mexico City, Oaxaca and Hidalgo, which decriminalized abortion just late last month, as places where women can now choose to have abortions within 12 weeks of pregnancy.

“We thought this day was so far off that we’re in shock, in the best way possible,” said a tweet from Brujas del Mar, a Veracruz feminist group, while noting that most of Mexico‘s states have yet to follow suit.

“Let’s go after the 28 (states) that are left.”

Veracruz is one of just three states that does not mandate jail time for women who have unauthorized abortions, according to data from advocacy group GIRE, in a region where traditional anti-abortion attitudes have only recently started to shift.

Even as Argentina legalized the procedure in December, several of more than 20 Latin American nations still ban abortion outright, including El Salvador, which has sentenced some women to up to 40 years in prison.

Veracruz became a focal point in Mexico‘s abortion debate last year when the Supreme Court ruled against a proposal to decriminalize abortion in the state, a move condemned by women’s rights activists.

Reuters

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
News quiz

The MND News Quiz of the Week: August 23rd

0
Dr. Simi, digital banking and direct flights: Have you been following the news this week?
five people standing in a row

Over 30,000 new street cameras will make CDMX the most monitored city in the Americas

0
The new cameras will increase the city's total by 36% and include state-of-the-art smart poles with a 360-degree view.
border building in Guatemala with a welcome sign

Guatemala grants humanitarian visas to 161 Mexicans who fled organized crime

0
Reversing the usual northbound migration route, the refugees fled a cartel war in their home state of Chiapas.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity