CONSENSUS ELUDES MEXICANS ON ABORTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 001634 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/MEX, G/WI AND AID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KWMN PGOV PHUM PINR PREL SUBJECT: CONSENSUS ELUDES MEXICANS ON ABORTION ¶1. Unclassified - Entire text. ¶2. Summary: A little more than two years after Mexico City moved to liberalize abortion within the Federal District, the decision remains controversial. The public is split on the issue of whether a woman should be able to seek an abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy. There are moves afoot in many states to either toughen or relax existing legislation. The PAN-led federal government remains firmly opposed to liberalization of the prevailing abortion regime in Mexico and the issue is one which will not likely be resolved in coming years. End Summary. ¶3. Mexico's constitution establishes the right of individuals to decide Q&the number of children desired and the timing between each of them.Q8 The Federal Penal Code provides for abortion when pregnancy results from rape, and when serious health conditions would endanger a woman's life, or when severe birth defects would make life non-viable after birth. In most states, abortions are legal only in the above specified circumstances. While a number of Mexican states are contemplating bills liberalizing abortion, legalization of abortion on demand in Mexico City in early 2007 remains controversial among a majority of Mexico's citizens. (In practice, NGOs report, illegal abortion is widely practiced in Mexico, often in unsanitary and dangerous circumstances.) Public's Views Mixed, Influenced by Church and Politics -------------- -------------- ¶4. Public tolerance of the practice varies widely from state to state, influenced by Mexico's strong Catholic tradition. Though many Mexicans are only nominally Catholic, the influence of the Church in social and cultural matters remains. Outside of Mexico City, a majority are opposed to broadening abortion rights. A March 2009 Parametr!a survey found that countrywide, 58 percent of those surveyed said that they believed a woman should not be allowed receive an abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy. Only 23 percent said they believed she should not be sanctioned for seeking such an abortion, while 15 percent said they were unsure. (Even in Mexico City, whose residents often take more liberal positions on a variety of social and cultural issues, only 44 percent said they believed a woman should be allowed an abortion in the first trimester. No polls exist to gauge the extent to which there is a regional divide between the generally poor, rural southern states and relatively more prosperous north. ¶5. Partisan politics has also shaped public opinion. Social conservatism has long defined Pan's platform and as a party PAN has taken a strong position against abortion both at the federal level and in the eight states it governs. During the 2006 campaign, candidate Felipe Calderon declared himself to be pro-life, and as president he continues to condemn abortion and has said that he personally believes women who become pregnant as a result of rape should carry the child to term. By contrast, PRD has declared itself in favor of liberalized abortion rights. PRI has not taken a position as a party. Mexico City Law Raises Issue's Profile -------------- ¶6. The issue was thrown into sharp focus in early 2007, when Mexico City's Legislative Assembly began discussing a PRD (the city's majority party) initiative to liberalize the right to abortion within the Federal District. Over the course of several weeks, the nation's attention was riveted on the often heated exchanges among city lawmakers, with national political, social and cultural leaders weighing in. The discussion culminated in the passage of the bill in late April by a solid majority. When Mexico's Supreme Court took up a challenge to the new law, the controversy continued. The issue made for strange political bedfellows at times. During the high court's deliberations, Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora and national human rights Ombudsman JosQ Luis Soberanes (who find themselves at odds on most other issues) argued the unconstitutionality of the city law, saying that Mexico City was not legally able to make health laws. PAN weighed in as a party, airing TV spots condemning abortion that featured popular actors and comedians, and tied opposition PRI and PRD to what it characterized as an immoral decision to liberalize the abortion law in Mexico City. Nevertheless, in August 2008 the court voted 8-3 to recognize the validity of the new law and told the states that they had the right to similarly consider abortion legislation. ¶7. Despite the court's recognition of a sub-federal entities right to legislate on an important national health issue, the ruling has not exactly resulted in a sea change among the MEXICO 00001634 002 OF 002 states. States such as Campeche, Baja California, Colima, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, Nayarit, Puebla, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi and Sonora passed legislation in the past two years re-affirming the illegality of abortion except in the carefully prescribed circumstances outlined above. One state, Yucatan, has moved in the opposite direction (though not as far as Mexico City) and enacted a law permitting abortion when a woman can prove Q&economic hardshipQ8 if she already has three or more children. New Federal Standards Established for Rape/Abortion Cases -------------- -------------- ¶8. At the same time, the federal government has moved to clarify Mexico's existing abortion regime in cases involving rape. In conformity with a commitment made to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (related to a ten year old case in which a teenage girl was denied an abortion by state officials in Baja California),Mexico's Health Secretariat issued in April of this year an executive directive to the states requiring a standard response to rape cases in which the victim is seeking to prevent or end an unwanted pregnancy stemming from the crime. Some pro-abortion NGO's claimed a modest victory in regulations requiring a response by state health authorities no more than 120 hours after a confirmed rape, provision of emergency Q&morning afterQ8 contraception, as well as abortion on demand in rape cases. Such organizations, however, noted that the regulations require written authorization by law enforcement authorities who must certify that a rape had taken place (for victims under 18 a parent or guardian must also provide authorization). The NGOs also criticized counseling guidelines medical personnel must use with victims that they say are designed to dissuade her from seeking emergency contraception or an abortion. NGO's critical of the new standards issued by the Ministry say that in sum they impose time-consuming bureaucratic hurdles a rape victim must overcome before receiving assistance and make it likely many women will not receive attention in time. ¶9. Comment: Public health NGOQ,s believe that hundreds of thousands of illegal abortions are performed in Mexico each year, in largely inadequate health conditions, and that each year hundreds of women die as a result. Like in the U.S. the issue has been a polemical one, resulting in a slew of contrasting legal initiatives presented. Those who promoting liberalizing Mexico's abortion laws nationwide say doing so will help save the lives of hundreds of young women. Many Mexicans, however, remain convinced that the current restrictive regime that remains in place outside of Mexico City is more in keeping with the country's moral values. End Comment. Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / WILLIARD