Mexico City has just passed a new law that legalises abortion in the first trimester, while the US has recently imposed a nationwide ban on abortion in late-term pregnancies. What are the implications of these legislations on women’s rights?

Mexico City legalises abortion, despite Catholic conservatism

Abortion has now become legal in Mexico City after lawmakers on April 24 voted 46 to 19 in favour of a bill that allows abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The bill requires city hospitals to provide low-cost abortion services to women in their first trimesters, especially for the poor and uninsured. Girls below 18 years old, however, must secure parental consent.

“[The legislature’s vote] is a triumph for democracy,” said Maria Consuelo Mejia of the group Catholics for the Right to Choose, adding, “It is a triumph for all women, and above all, for the poorest [women in the country].”

Before the present law was passed, abortion in Mexico City is allowed only in cases of rape, when the woman’s life is at risk, or when there are signs of severe foetus defects.

With the bill in place, “instead of back alleys, women will be able to go to the doctor’s office to get the health services they need,” said Lilian Sepulveda of the Center for Reproductive Rights, a legal advocacy organisation that promotes and defends the reproductive rights of women worldwide.

Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard assured that the doctors at city-run hospitals cannot refuse to perform the procedure because of moral objections, adding that “We have to serve the public, that is, what the law orders us to do.”

For years, poor women in Mexico—the world’s second-largest Roman Catholic country—have resorted to clandestine clinics, traditional midwives, and herbal potions to end unwanted pregnancies. About 90% of the country’s population is Catholic. Each year, there are an estimated 200,000 illegal abortions. Of these women, at least 1,500 die during botched operations performed in unhygienic backstreet clinics.

At the national level, a similar law is being deliberated upon in Congress.

US Supreme Court upholds Bush Administration’s abortion ban

A closely divided US Supreme Court, in a 5 to 4 vote on April 18, has upheld the first nationwide ban on a specific abortion procedure in late-term pregnancies dubbed as “partial-birth” abortion. The ban has little consideration for a pregnant woman’s health, and abortion would be allowed only in extreme cases when the mother’s life is in danger.

US Senator Barbara Boxer, a pro-choice advocate, said that “As a result of today’s ruling, the health of women who have dangerous pregnancies is now in deep jeopardy...Women who are in need of this banned procedure will be denied it, even if they risk losing their fertility, becoming paralysed, or sustaining organ damage.”

The abortion ban was proposed by US President George W. Bush back in 2003 after a similar law was deemed unconstitutional in 2000. Doctors who will perform the abortion procedure could now face criminal prosecution, fines, and up to two years imprisonment.

Critics say that the ban is a reflection of the impact of the recent addition to the US high court of two conservative justices appointed by the US president.

According to MADRE, an international women’s human rights organisation, “The Bush Administration is a product of the Christian Right. Anyone who has been watching the Christian Right chip away at abortion access and the separation of church and state knows that criminalising abortion is just the tip of the Christian-fundamentalist iceberg and that their agenda is global in scope.”

FYI: Christian Right

The term “Christian Right” is used by scholars and journalists to refer to a spectrum of right-wing Christian political and social movements and organisations characterised by their strong support of conservative social and political values. Fundamentalists across several religions often share with the Christian Right certain positions on specific issues such as opposition to abortion, gay rights, separation of religion and government, opposition to changing moral standards.

Today, Regent, the flagship university of the openly theocratic wing of the Christian Right, has 150 alumni working in the Bush Administration. Their alma mater’s mission: to provide “Christian leadership to change the world.” They started where all religious fundamentalists start: with asserting control over women’s bodies. For them, the subordination of women is both a microcosm and a precondition for the world they want to create.

Source: “It’s Not Just an Abortion Ban: The Christian Right’s Global Agenda” from MADRE, posted on May 2, 2007, <http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/02/912/>.

Related article:
“Mexico on the move to legalise abortion” in we! March 2007, No. 2 

Sources:
“Abortion is legal in Mexico City but questions and critics remain” from Associated Press, posted on April 28, 2007, <http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20070428-1628-mexico-abortion.html>.
“Abortion legalised in Mexico City” from BBC News, posted on April 25, 2007, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6586959.stm>.
“It’s Not Just an Abortion Ban: The Christian Right’s Global Agenda” from MADRE, posted on May 2, 2007, <http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/02/912/>.
“Mexico City Legislature Approves Bill That Legalizes Abortion During First Three Months' Gestation” from Medical News Today, posted on April 27, 2007, <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=68943>.
“Mexico City Legislature Legalizes Early Abortions” from Feminist Majority Foundation, posted on April 25, 2007, <http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=10272>.
“US ban on abortion procedure upheld” from Aljazeera.Net, posted on April 18, 2007, <http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/97463D17-1089-4072-8EDB-995B3C67C5F4.htm>.
“US imposes limited abortion ban” from NewScientist.com News Service, posted on April 26, 2007, <http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19426013.700-us-imposes-limited-abortion-ban-.html>.