Abortion Ruling: Life Legally Starts at Conception, Rules Mexico Supreme Court

By CP News Briefs, Friday, September 30, 2011

Anti-abortion campaigners have praised a decision by the Mexican Supreme Court that has upheld an amendment to Baja California's state constitution, which reaffirms that in the country life legally commences at conception.

A majority of justices in fact voted to overturn the ruling, however, for the decision to be judged unconstitutional eight of 11 votes were needed; only seven voted to overturn the amendment.

The right-to-life amendment severely restricts abortions in the country. However, Mexico City will still allow abortions for women in the first 12 weeks of their pregnancy.

Pro-abortion campaigners have condemned the ruling saying that it will drive desperate women to seek abortions by illegal means.

However, Jorge Serrano, leader of an anti-abortion organization Pro-Life said, “We have to continue working so that life may triumph,” according to Reuters.

The Mexican justices explained that they were handing down their decision based “strictly on constitutional issues.”

They said: “That is, the issue under debate was the power of states to legislate on topics that are not expressly determined by the federal constitution".

Currently all Mexican states still allow an abortion to be given when pregnancy results from rape, and a large majority allow it if a woman’s life is in danger.