Unlike legal abortions performed by trained health care providers, unsafe abortions can have fatal consequences. So much so that unsafe abortions are the third leading cause of maternal death worldwide and, according to the WHO, also result in five million largely preventable disabilities. Immediately, hospitals under the Ministry of Health DF began to offer the service. The Minister of Health at the time, Manuel Mondragón y Kalb, was firmly committed to the issue and dedicated himself to visiting hospitals to identify problems that might arise. At the same time, the Catholic fundamentalist group calling itself Pro-Life urged some doctors to declare themselves conscientious objectors. The tensions arising from the new service, which were fraught with ideological conflicts, were palpable. Although health service operational guidelines regarding legal abortion have been updated and set specific rules, the pressure has succeeded in making care more difficult in some hospitals. One month after the adoption of the reform, the Minister of Health published data on the women beneficiaries of the service: 56% were between 20 and 29 years old and 54% had an intermediate, technical or university degree. And eloquently, 81.4% defined themselves as Catholic. But the most important reform, which went completely unnoticed, was the abolition of the crime of abortion, which is practiced for certain legal reasons. Previously, the law stipulated that the crime of abortion would not be punished in certain circumstances: serious danger to the woman`s health, rape, non-consensual artificial insemination, serious malformations of the product and carelessness of the woman. The reform eliminated the criminality requirement for abortion if its implementation was based on one of the aforementioned causes. This change in legal terms (“criminal liability for the crime of abortion is excluded”) was so technical that even ANP members, who were pleased with the recognition of conscientious objection, voted in favour.

The Act entered into force on 27 January 2004 without an appeal against unconstitutionality. Abortion is a controversial issue that has been debated and demanded for decades, but criminalized, so women have performed it in an unhealthy and inhumane way, with the risk of dying and suffering temporary or permanent sequelae that could be prevented. On 24 and 25 May 2007, the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Republic (PGR) filed an appeal of unconstitutionality. The scenario had been foreseen by the DF government and civil organizations supporting the decriminalization of abortion. The argument, more ideological than legal, revealed a complete ignorance of the human rights of women, who are considered exclusively reproductive entities and whose only right was to consent to sexual relations. In addition, the Court`s decisions are a strong affirmation of the right of women and pregnant women to make decisions and set priorities to reduce abortion, secondary and higher education for women, comprehensive sexuality education, prevention of sexual violence, access to effective contraceptives, and sexual and reproductive health services that enable them to make informed choices. Claire Malone, a young Irish woman who already had two children, told Amnesty International that her right to health was compromised by her inability to access abortion services due to the country`s strict laws. IWRM was founded as a civil association with the aim of achieving the decriminalization of abortion by strengthening a culture of respect for sexual and reproductive rights. Its initial task was to introduce a new analytical perspective, a new political argumentation and a new way of advocating for legislative change.

It was based on the need for serious and rigorously treated information. Moreover, given that several religious beliefs coexist in Mexico, as well as a growing number of infidels, agnostics and atheists, it was necessary to insist on the right of each individual to make personal choices based on his or her faith, religious or not. The only democratic alternative in a diverse society is the right to decide. In countries such as Colombia, Peru and Paraguay, however, there have been no changes. Although Colombia and Peru allow abortion in certain cases and under certain conditions, Paraguay is the exception: it is the only country in Latin America to ban abortion completely. At the international level, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) stands out in terms of human rights with regard to this issue. The first section of article 12 provides: • If the pregnancy is the result of rape (in all 32 states) • If the continuation of the pregnancy affects the health of the woman • If the pregnancy endangers the woman`s life • If the product has a serious birth defect • If the pregnancy is the result of artificial insemination against the woman`s will • If the abortion was caused recklessly, That is, by chance • When the precarious economy of the woman deteriorates with the continuation of pregnancy • By the free choice of the woman Although the initiative was frozen in Congress, its presentation by the Communist Deputation led to a huge campaign by the Church against the Party and its allies. The slogan of the campaign was: “They are the murderers”. Underneath posters such as “Award, so-and-so is wanted” appeared photos of MPs who promoted the project. Under the same slogan “These are the murderers”, posters were also displayed alluding to feminists and doctors performing abortions, with photos of a doctor in a white coat and a stereotypical feminist. The reaction of the right and parliamentary silence on the bill created a situation of disappointment, frustration and fear that led to widespread discouragement and demobilization. This partly explains the feminist silence of 1983, when President Miguel de la Madrid and Attorney General Sergio García Ramírez tried to reform Mexico City`s abortion law to bring it into line with the progress made since the late 70s in many states of the Republic, where abortion was decriminalized in cases of serious malformations and health damage.

The only penal code that has not been amended since 1931 is that of Mexico City. However, the church caused a scandal and, in the absence of a positive social reaction, the government initiative was deactivated. The expert of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Leticia Bonifaz Alonzo, said that through her congresses, she continues to advocate for the decriminalization of abortion from one state to another.