Factors Behind Legal Abortions In Mexico City : A quantitative study assesing factors that influence women to have legal abortions in Mexico City

Abstract: Legalization in Mexico’s 32 states regarding abortion is very conservative, only in the case of rape all states agree on exemptions. In 2007, Mexico City legalized abortion up to 12 weeks on the mother’s demand. This opened the possibility for women from all over Mexico travel to Mexico City in order to have a legal abortion. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate in the abortion issue in Mexico by assessing different factors that influence women to travel to Mexico City in order to have a legal abortion. This study applies Juarez and Singh’s (2011) developmental theory to investigate if the developmental level of the state (province) affect the decision that women make to travel to Mexico City to have an abortion. A multiple regression analysis is made based on variables from previous research about abortion. The operationalization of the developmental perspective is done by including the variables of education, income and distance to Mexico City. Previous research on attitudes towards abortion is also considered by including education and religion as variables for the study. Finally, legislation is added as a control variable. The results show that education and distance are statistically significant factors that affect to what extent women have abortions in Mexico City. A higher educational level in a state implicates more abortions per capita performed in Mexico City compared to a state with lower educational level. Further, in states located close to Mexico City more abortions per capita are performed in Mexico City than from states located at further distance. The result for income is not in line with the thesis of Juarez and Singh, as it is showing that higher income in the state implicates less abortions per capita performed. However, a trip to Mexico City requires economical means and therefore the distance to Mexico City is suggested as a more significant variable to understand a higher developmental level. While legislation and religion do not show any significant explanatory power in the particular context of Mexico.