Like many other Latin American countries, Mexico has an extremely conservative attitude towards abortion. First of all, this is due to the strong influence of the Catholic Church, which traditionally has a negative attitude towards abortion. However, Mexico is one of only three Latin American countries (along with Cuba and Uruguay) where abortion is partially or fully legalized.
Of the 32 states in Mexico, only the Metropolitan Federal District of Mexico City (since 2007) and the State of Oaxaca (since 2019) allow abortion at the request of a woman up to the 12th week of pregnancy. In other states, abortion is technically prohibited, but is possible if a woman has been sexually assaulted or if the pregnancy threatens her health. Otherwise, a woman has the right to be prosecuted for illegal abortion. In Guanajuato, Guerrero and Queretaro, abortions are not permitted unless threats to the mother's life are permitted. Moreover, these states have a history of denying abortion rights in cases of rape. In the state of Yucatan, abortion is possible if the mother already has three children.
Since 2000, more than 4,000 women across Mexico have been prosecuted for illegal abortions, especially in conservative states. Moreover, as human rights organizations write, after the legalization of abortion in Mexico City, women began to be brought to court more often in other states. Worst of all, public hospital staff in these states call the police if they realize that a woman has had an abortion, even legally in Mexico City. If a woman has a miscarriage, she risks undergoing an examination, which should find out whether she tried to have an abortion. At the same time, the attitude in these states towards doctors and healers who practice illegal abortions is much more loyal than towards their patients.
The government of Mexico's current president has submitted a bill to Congress to legalize abortion at the federal level. At the same time, the bill stalled due to active resistance from the conservative opposition, and the president did not insist on its promotion. Mexican federal law leaves the issue of the legality of abortion to state legislation.
Two methods of termination of pregnancy are legally defined, based on the patient's choice, gestational age and medical indications. These are medical and surgical methods. Drugs for medical abortion (mifiprestone, misoprestol, cytotec and others) cannot be purchased at the pharmacy, and this creates conditions for the development of their «black» market. The first dose of the drug must be taken in the clinic, the second is possible at home. In this case, there may be severe menstrual pain and bleeding, and in addition to this, nausea, chills and other side effects. After 14 days, a pregnancy test is performed. If pregnancy is early, the effectiveness of medical abortion is reduced.
The surgery uses manual endouterine aspiration. The process lasts 10-15 minutes, is carried out with analgesics or under anesthesia, its advantage is the chance to confirm the successful completion of the stages immediately upon completion.
Both methods are safe, do not require hospitalization and allow the woman to quickly return to her normal sex life. Uterine curettage, or curettage, is formally prohibited in Mexico, although in other countries of the world it has the right to be considered a safer and more reliable method than vacuum aspiration. However, curettage is possible if the doctor has concluded that other methods have not been effective.
In all cases, termination of pregnancy before the 12th week is considered legal. From the 13th week, legal abortions are possible only if the mother's life is at risk.
In 13 public clinics in Mexico City, abortions are performed free of charge for residents of the capital and for a relatively small fee — for visitors from other regions. A list of such clinics is available atlink. In private clinics, the cost of an abortion is much higher and can vary greatly — from 1500 to 10000 MXN.
According to statistics from Statista, from April 2007 to September 2019, almost 217 thousand abortions were officially performed in Mexico, of which almost 151 thousand — in the capital Mexico City and another 57.6 thousand — in the state of Mexico. There were 1,350 abortions in Puebla, and Hidalgo — 1180. The number of legal abortions in other states is quite small.
Minor — does not mean that illegal abortions do not occur in these states. According to Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida (GIRE), in 2009, 159 thousand women contacted health authorities due to complications from unsafe and illegal abortions. We have already mentioned the black market for abortion drugs. These drugs can be ordered online through regular electronic trading platforms. Termination of pregnancy using medications for gastritis and arthritis, herbs and other healing methods — Moreover, it is a fairly common practice among certain segments of the population.
Legal way — request permission to have an abortion if the pregnancy is the result of rape, poses a threat to the mother's life, or the fetus is not developing properly. Some doctors practice procedures for obtaining such permissions, although to obtain them the fact of rape must be recorded, and the progress of pregnancy must be documented.
For now, in most cases, to terminate a pregnancy, a woman either needs to get on a plane and fly to Mexico City, or look for a local doctor who will perform a clandestine abortion.