On September 6, Mexico’s supreme court ruled the federal criminal penalties for abortion were unconstitutional, effectively decriminalizing abortion nationwide. But Mexico’s experience provides an important window into the chapter after decriminalization—and the structural and social changes that need to happen to give it effect. For decriminalization to translate into a future with greater access to reproductive health care, women seeking abortion need access to psychological and social support, as well as clinics and hospitals stocked with essential drugs, supplies, equipment, and trained specialists. The ruling also comes with plenty of caveats: decriminalizing on the federal level is not legalizing, and even still, the measure will not be completely official until Mexico’s Congress changes the federal penal code.
Compiled from: Myriam Vidal Valero, "What Comes After Decriminalizing Abortion," Slate, Oct. 10, 2023.