By Dave Andrusko
Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte
Back in June, on a 3-1 vote, the Supreme Court of Justice in Mexico rejected a proposal to overturn federal law that would have declared that it is unconstitutional to criminalize abortion and that women have the right to make their own decisions on abortion.
Last week, less than two months later, lawmakers in the Mexican state of Veracruz approved a state constitutional amendment “defending life from the moment of conception until natural death.”
That action does not become effective until a majority of municipalities in Veracruz approve, but according to local media accounts, that is almost a foregone conclusion.
“I congratulate legislators of the Veracruz legislature for saying yes to life,” Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte tweeted after the vote.
“The Catholic Church in Veracruz had lobbied for the abortion ban and welcomed its approval,” the Catholic News Service reported. “A prayer with faith changes realities,” the Archdiocese of Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz, posted on its Facebook page. Evangelicals were also highly supportive.
In 2008 Mexico City legalized abortion in the first twelve weeks, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court of Mexico later that year. Subsequently, more than half of the 32 Mexican states passed initiatives banning almost all abortions.