Abortion rights upheld in Mexico City
Mexico's high court voted to uphold legalized abortion in Mexico City!
And yeah, it appear the Mexican court has its own version of Scalia:
Magistrate Mariano Azuela, who was one of two justices to speak against the law, declared that life begins at conception. "I feel that a woman in some way has to live with the phenomenon of becoming pregnant," he reportedly said. "When she does not want to keep the product of the pregnancy, she still has to suffer the effects during the whole period."
A pretty succinct summary of the view that women who dare to have sex should be "punished" with pregnancy.
Anyway, awesome news!
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Yay! Finally some good news out of Latin America, though the election of two female presidents (Chile's Michelle Bachelet and Argentina's Christina Kirchner) is great, seeing some actual results for women at the grassroots level is, to me, more inspiring! Viva America Latina!
Sorry, but Goanna says "finally some good news out of Latin America",I have two comments:
1) Bachlet, despite being a woman has had meetings with the hierarchy of the Catholic Church to promise that there would be no messing around with the Chilean prohibition of abortion - and Chile is one of the only Latin American states with COMPLETE prohibition of abortion, and that means in any circumstances.
2) Colombia, thanks to the Constitutional Court has a much more liberal regime in this regards than many states in the USA regarding abortion, as there is NO obligation whatsoever to "prove" any of the statements made, in other words, a minor, just for being a minor, and not being able to consent may have an abortion, just as a victim of rape may; or, indeed, a would-be mother of an 'deformed' foetus.
it's funny how sometimes a state that is supposedly more backwards, may actually have a more advance legislation that in the First World. And by that I mean, I find it funny that Colombia has a more advanced legislation than my native Ireland; and many other supposedly First World countries....
but the whole inspiration part is chevere
let's just hope we all can progress!
The only dark lining that I see on this silver cloud is that doctors in Mexico City are refusing to provide services:
...Since the city’s legislature voted for the law in April 2007, some 85 percent of the gynecologists in the city’s public hospitals have declared themselves conscientious objectors. And women complain that even at those hospitals that perform abortions, staff members are often hostile, demeaning them and throwing up bureaucratic hurdles.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/25/
world/americas/25mexico.html
(Sorry about the broken link - html code for links never works for me in comments here.)
How awful. His statement is basically "Fuck you, you have to stay pregnant. Because I said so. Suck it up."