In its recent report, entitled ‘Navigating Obstacles: Abortion Access in the State of Mexico’, Human Rights Watch examined the inadequacies in accessing abortion in the State of Mexico between January 2018 and February 2024. In essence Human Rights Watch argues that ‘the state of Mexico needs to join the other 16 states in the country that haven fully decriminalised abortion and taken the lead in protecting women’s rights’. Moreover, the report found that healthcare providers in the state of Mexico, the nation’s most populous state, are systematically failing to guarantee proper access to abortion care, even in cases in which it is legal. Research found that these inadequacies have forced an increasingly high number of people to travel to Mexico City, where abortions are unrestricted up to twelve weeks of pregnancies. Notably this places a severe and unjust burden on people living in conditions of poverty, those with disabilities or care responsibilities, adolescents and those who may not be able to travel easily.
Crucially the report stressed that the state of Mexico plays a central role in shaping the country’s political landscape and legislative direction. Nevertheless the state of Mexico continues to criminalise abortion. The only lawful exceptions being in cases of rape, ‘negligent abortions’, risk to the pregnant woman’s life, or when the fetus has ‘serious congenital or genetic alterations.’ Even in cases where it is legal, the barriers to accessing abortion remain persistent and rooted. ‘Denying or delaying services, withholding necessary information, questioning the veracity of sexual violence survivor’s statements, subjecting women to mistreatment and imposing arbitrary requirements for access that contradict existing law and regulations.’ These are just some of the barriers in accessing a lawful abortion in the state of Mexico.
In its research Human Rights Watch interviewed 66 different experts involved in this field. The key finding that emerged was that gender based biases, stereotypes and social stigma present in healthcare play a cardinal role in the creation and strengthening of obstacles in access to abortion. The report found that certain hospitals restrict access by imposing arbitrary requirements that are not required by state law or regulation. For example, demanding that survivors of sexual violence report their cases to authorities before accessing abortion care. Or requiring parental involvement for adolescents under the age of 18 although the state law does not require parental involvement for adolescents over the age of 12 to access abortion. Human Rights Watch also found that stigma plays a key role as many women in the state do not seek medical help when they need it, due to fear of facing criminal charges. Fear of legal repercussion also further deters healthcare personnel the interviews found.
This report casts light on the profound violation of human rights that these inadequacies in accessing abortion have caused in the state of Mexico. The interviews, data and statistics emphasise the existing barriers to a legal abortion are significant and show no sign of coming down. With this report Human Rights Watch has raised two key points. First that the state of Mexico should fully decriminalize abortion. Second, that ‘Health institutions should provide joint efforts to ensure that everyone has access to abortion services without discrimination.’
Click here to read the report.