On September 6, 2023, Mexico officially decriminalized abortions across the country. Mexico’s Supreme Court has ruled that national laws prohibiting abortion are unconstitutional and violate women’s rights. The ruling requires Congress to remove abortion from the federal criminal code by 2023.
The ruling will require the federal public health service and health institutions to offer abortions to anyone who requests them. This allows women and doctors to carry out the procedure without fear of punishment. Before, if a woman were to get an abortion, they could get up to three years in prison.
Women have been protesting for abortion rights throughout Latin America. This has come to be known as the green wave because they wear green bandanas when they are protesting for these rights. The Green Wave movement, inspired by Argentina’s #NiUnaMenos movement has gained momentum in Latin America, with activists wearing green bandanas to protest abortion rights. The movement spread to other countries, with the first successful legal action in 2006.
Although there are still states in Mexico that criminalize abortions, the law passed by Mexico’s Supreme Court will force the states to comply with the court’s ruling.
