Despite Catholic opposition, Mexico City passes abortion initiative

MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- Despite an intense opposition campaign by the Catholic Church, the Mexico City Assembly has approved an initiative legalizing abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Following a heated session April 24, the legislature voted in favor of the new law, which will allow hospitals run by the city government to provide abortions.

The initiative, passed 46-19 with one abstention, went into effect April 27, and all city hospitals must begin offering abortions within 60 days.

City health officials announced April 26 that only women who provide proof of residence in Mexico City are permitted to have an abortion there.

Only a small portion of Mexico City’s hospitals are run by the local government, and abortions will not be offered at federal hospitals.

Outside the Assembly, on the streets of Mexico City’s colonial center, supporters and opponents of the measure faced off, separated only by a thin row of riot police.

Waving banners and chanting over the sound of booming drums, opponents of abortion vowed to find new ways to defeat the initiative, which has put Mexico City, the nation’s capital, on the short list of places in Latin America where abortions are allowed -- along with Cuba, Puerto Rico and Guyana.

“We will continue fighting to prevent this,” said Ivan Manjarez, a former Mexico City legislator with the conservative National Action Party, which opposes abortion. “You cannot take away the rights of those who are weakest.”

Before the initiative’s enactment, abortions were only allowed in cases of rape or serious birth defects or when the pregnancy endangers the mother’s life. Supporters of the initiative say the prohibition has resulted in hundreds of thousands of clandestine abortions across the country, often carried out in unsafe conditions. Federal health officials recorded 88 deaths in 2006 due to botched abortions; some organizations claim this figure is much higher.

The National Action Party, which historically has strong ties to the Catholic Church, says it plans to challenge the measure before the Supreme Court, arguing the law violates Mexico’s Constitution. However, the party’s minority status in the Mexico City Assembly may hinder this effort: It controls 17 of the chamber’s 66 seats.