Blog #5 (Health/Disease)

“Mexico Supreme Court upholds abortion stance.”

Amber Kocher

In Mexico, the Supreme Court decided to keep its amendment that says life begins at conception, and that abortions are unlawful.  This movement was fueled by anti-abortion campaigners and protesters.  The amendment was voted unconstitutional by 7 of 11 justices, but it needed 8 votes for the amendment to be overturned.  The issue is that Mexico City allows abortions with a time limit, as well as some other Mexican States having their own dictations.  Women’s rights activists and health workers fear that the individualized rules between the states will create a divide and will prevent some people from being able to go to Mexico City and other places for legal abortions.  They believe that women from states where abortions are heavily restricted will not have the opportunity or be allowed to travel where it is legal.  The article says that all Mexican states allow abortions in cases of rape and mortality risk to the mother, but pro-choice campaigners believe that this practice doesn’t always happen, and with the laws staying in place, it will be even less frequent.

This article is focused more on the legal aspect of this issue than the health side.  But I believe that it is and could become even more of a health problem.  If women can’t find a way to get an abortion, and desperately want to have one, they could be more likely to find a less safe and sanitary way to have one.  Another thing is that people will go to extreme lengths to find somewhere to get one, and they could travel into the US or other neighboring countries where the practice of abortion is legal.  Since Mexico has kept this conservative law in place, this could also influence other countries to make the same decision.  While I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I think that the decision to have or not have a child is up to each individual.  It’s their body and their child, and involving laws and politics is wrong.  And when something like this could encourage women to resort to desperate measures, it becomes a health issue.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15104022