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Abstract
In the last decade, there has been a clear tendency toward liberalising abortion laws at the international level. In April 2007, this trend reached the Federal District of Mexico City. Landmark legislation decriminalised abortion on demand up to 12 weeks of gestation. In a region where abortion is still legally proscribed and stigmatised to the detriment of women's health, lives, and rights, what explains Mexico City's historic decriminalisation of abortion? How and why did this issue become a political priority? To analyse this question, we propose applying a framework (developed by Jeremy Shiffman and Stephanie Smith) on the generation of political priorities for global health initiatives to the case study of the decriminalisation of abortion in Mexico City. We find that such an analysis of the Mexico City process, using Shiffman and Smith's four categories, combined with our perspective as NGO activists, offers a compelling and comprehensive explanation of this historic advance toward the recognition of women's abortion rights.
Notes
1. See the recent Center for Reproductive Rights publication ‘Abortion Worldwide: Twelve Years of Reform’ at: www.reproductiverights.org/pdf/pub_bp_abortionlaws10.pdf (last accessed March 2008) for a complete list of countries that have liberalised or restricted abortion laws since 1995.
2. See www.womenslinkworldwide.org/prog_rr_colombia.html (last accessed March 2008) for more information on this historic decision.
3. Our analysis is based on the framework developed in Shiffman and Smith (Citation2007).
4. A complete list of the CEDAW recommendations to Mexico in August 2006 can be found at: www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/cedaw36/cc/Mexico%20cc%20advance%20unedited%20version.pdf (last accessed March 2008).
5. GIRE's table of legal abortion indications by the Mexican state is available at: www.gire.org.mx/contenido.php?informacion=196 (last accessed March 2008).
6. Based on the results of a poll commissioned by GIRE and conducted by Beltran and Associates in 2003,with follow-up polls conducted in 2005 and Citation2007.
7. For the text of the Mexico City Law in English, see GIRE's website at: www.gire.org.mx/contenido.php?informacion=187 (last accessed March 2008).
8. For a historical look at this reform process, please see Beltran y Puga (Citation2007) ‘The Decriminalization of Abortion in Mexico City’, www.despenalizacion.org.ar (last accessed December 2007).
9. Quote taken from a speech at the interactive forum ‘Legal Termination of Pregnancy: An Achievement for Women's Right to Decide’, held on 27 September 2007 in honour of the September 28 Campaign, Day to Decriminalize Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean.
10. Allied organisations involved with the case include Center for Reproductive Rights and Alaíde Foppa.
11. For further information on the terms of the friendly resolution, see www.cidh.org/annualrep/2007sp/mexico161.02sp.htm (last accessed March 2008)
12. See www.ippf.org/en/What-we-do/Abortion/SAAF+main.htm (last accessed March 2008) for further information.
13. Amicus curae, Latin for ‘friend of the court’, refers to a brief presented by a third party to provide additional information for justices in their decision-making process.
14. Quote taken from a speech at the interactive forum ‘Legal Termination of Pregnancy: An Achievement for Women's Right to Decide’, held on 27 September 2007 in honour of the September 28 Campaign, Day to Decriminalize Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean.
