(RT) – Mexico’s top court has ruled that criminalizing abortions in the Federal Penal Code is unconstitutional and has removed penalties for the practice nationwide. Women’s groups across the country have hailed the decision as a landmark moment.
The judgment, which the Supreme Court issued on Wednesday, comes two years after the same court ruled against abortion restrictions in the northern state of Coahuila, which has since prompted several Mexican states and local governments to begin revising their penal codes.
The federal decriminalization of abortion will mean that national health institutions will now be obligated to provide such services and will not be punished for the practice, reproductive rights group GIRE, which initiated the case, has said.
