Abortion Declared Legal in Mexico City
Mexico City lawmakers voted to legalize abortion Tuesday and allowed the procedure to be offered free at government clinics.
The new law will reqiure women under 18 to get consent from there parents. Nationally, Mexico only allows abortion in cases of rape, severe birth defects or if the woman's life is at risk. In some cases doctors deny the procedure under those circumstances, reports the Associated Press.
According to Reuters, competing protests by abortion rights and anti-abortion groups have occured in Mexico City. Abortion opponets are already making plans to appeal the issue to the Supreme Court. The vote has also encouraged the Vatican to send its top anti-abortion campaigner to Mexico City.
Cuba and Guyana are the only other countries in Latin American and the Caribbean where abortion is legally available to all women. Nicaragua, El Salvador and Chile don't allow it under any circumstances.