Decriminalisation of Abortion - Lessons from Mexico City
Abstract: Latin America has a profound tradition of anti-abortion legislation and a conservative view on women’s sexuality. Most of the countries allow for abortion in extreme cases, such as rape or when there is a risk to the woman’s health, while others still prohibit it under any circumstances. But in 2007, Mexico City decriminalised abortion up until the 12th week of pregnancy. Mexico City thus constitutes a deviant case in relation to all Mexican states and almost all other Latin American countries. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the reasons for a decriminalisation to come upon in Mexico City and to highlight the issue of women’s rights in Latin America. It seeks to explain why a policy change was possible in the Mexico City case – despite various failing attempts elsewhere in the region. The thesis concludes that several different aspects played a fundamental role for the creation of a policy reform, with one of the most important ones being the political context. The role of Mexico City as a precursor to similar changes in other parts of Latin America is further reflected upon with the ambition of securing key explanatory factors for future cases of decriminalisation of abortion.
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