Mexico Supreme Court Appears Likely to Uphold Mexico City Law OKing Abortions
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 27, 2008
Mexico City, Mexico (LifeNews.com) — Members of the Mexico Supreme Court appear likely to uphold a law in the nation’s capital that legalized abortion up to 12 weeks into pregnancy. The Federal District Assembly put the law in place last April and thousands of women from across the nation have had abortions under it, with one teenager dying.
After the legislative assembly approved the law, the nation’s government and pro-life groups immediately took it to court.
The Mexico Supreme Court held hearings throughout the first half of the year on the statute, which opponents say violates the right to life that the Mexico Constitution establishes.
Yesterday, according to the Catholic News Services, the high court handed down a preliminary decision — voting 10-1 that the capital city’s legislature can pass it’s own health regulations.
The high court has yet to rule on the heart of the case, whether or not an unborn child has legal rights.
But the Associated Press indicated Wednesday that four of the 11 Supreme Court justices have said they will not strike down the law and eight votes on the high court are needed to overturn it.
Still, Armando Martinez Gomez, president of the College of Catholic Lawyers of Mexico, told Catholic News Service he is hopeful, saying, "The debate has barely begun."
Raimundo Rojas, the Hispanic outreach director for National Right to Life, talked with LifeNews.com about the upcoming decision and worries that abortion advocates have heavily lobbied the justices.
"Its important to understand that the justices on the Mexican Supreme court serve only one 15 year term, and, unlike their American counterparts, many of them go on to continue to serve in some official capacity," he said.
Although knowing that may not change the outcome, Rojas said, "it means that future challenges to this law are possible" depending on who sits on the high court.
Rojas urged pro-life Americans to prayerfully support their Mexican counterparts, who have been working overtime to present the pro-life message to Mexico City and help women going there for abortions.
"The pro-family groups in Mexico are fighting a valiant fight, they will need our continued prayers and support, but as we see the tide of socialism taking over the Americas, pro-lifers working in the international realm will begin to see an exponential rise of legal attacks against the unborn," he said.
Rojas said the result of the American presidential elections could have a significant effect on Mexico and abortion.
Meanwhile, CNS indicated that Bishop Carlos Aguiar Retes of Texcoco, president of the Mexico bishop’s conference aired a nationally televised speech saying the right to life is absolute and the nation shouldn’t abrogate it.
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