OPINION: Mexican Society Must Change For Abortion to Become Truly Accessible

Two women sit amongst protest signs on the Day for the Decriminalization of Abortion in Mexico City (Source: Wikimedia Commons).

CW: This article mentions rape and sexual violence. 

Paulina Ramirez was only 13 years old when, in 1999, an intruder broke into her family’s home and assaulted her. In less than two years, Paulina would have celebrated her quinceanera, the Mexican rite of passage into womanhood that she had been eagerly anticipating. Yet, in a single moment, her youth was prematurely forced to an end. As a consequence of the attack, Paulina was to become a mother to the rapist’s child. She was only a child herself. 

Paulina and her mother pursued the possibility of obtaining an abortion. In her home state of Baja California, sexual assault was permissible as a legal exception to seek an abortion. Regardless, both state officials and medical professionals did not support her decision. Providing misinformation, such as that the legal proceedings would be too complicated, to her mother and denying her proper medical attention, the doctors forced Paulina to carry her son to term. Even at the risk of Paulina’s death and future infertility, it was more important to those around her that the child would live, even if Paulina were to die.

After her child’s birth, Paulina carried out a lawsuit against the Mexican government for malpractice and unlawful coercion to forgo an abortion. She won the case, gaining financial compensation for her and her son and becoming a pivotal figure for Mexican feminists and reproductive rights activists across the country. 

Paulina’s story is both tragic and hopeful. Winning her legal case and having the Mexican government admit responsibility led officials to establish regulatory standards that allow victims of rape, like Paulina, proper access to reproductive health services.

Even after the Mexican Supreme Court voted to decriminalize abortion this September, one thing continues to stand in the way of reproductive freedom for Mexican women: social stigma.  dissenting voices that discouraged her from exercising her bodily autonomy still persist in Mexico today, and due to pushback from the Catholic Church, they may be even louder than before. 

Mexico is a predominantly Catholic country. 81 percent of the population identifies as Catholic, and the Church remains a prominent voice in the country’s affairs. Even as abortion has becomea legally accepted right within Mexico, Catholic values have continued to dictate societal attitudes towards abortion and women who seek to terminate their pregnancies. 

During Paulina’s case, the Catholic clergy in Mexico found a timely opportunity to push their own views. In an analysis published in Reproductive Health Matters, Rosario Taracena explains that during the media coverage of the case, only nine out of 35 analyzed news headlines even mentioned her name. The central focus of the coverage was the Church’s repeated condemnation of abortion and its strict assertion that rape does not justify abortion. Taracena further explains, “From most of the headlines reporting the Church’s views, it is as if the Paulina case were not happening.”

Social stigma can make  the difference between a woman’s ability to exercise her bodily autonomy or take on a large responsibility that she is not equipped for. Despite the massive success of the decriminalization of abortion, there is still work left to be done in refining the decision’s legal framework. Melissa Ayala, a Mexican lawyer who works for the Mexico City-based Information Group on Reproductive Choice (GIRE), explains in an opinion for the New York Times that decriminalization does not mean abortion is entirely legal. Judges are prohibited from incarcerating any person who decides to get an abortion, but she notes that “a woman could still be taken before a judge and exposed before the community.” 

Prior to the September decision, the Mexican Supreme Court had already rejected a bid from the state of Veracruz to decriminalize abortion in the summer of 2020. Only in Mexico City and Oaxaca could Mexican citizens have access to abortion. In a little over a year, the court has completely changed its view on abortion as to reflect an emphasis on the law over public opinion. However, a distinction should be made here,it is not the case that the majority of Mexicans are against decriminalization. A 2020 survey found that nearly 50 percent of Mexicans support legalized abortion, demonstrating that attitudes are shifting. Issues arise when discussing the societal response to abortion. 

A research analysis published in the Public Library of Sciences One Journal discovered that even when provided with legal avenues for terminating a pregnancy, few Mexican women actually sought out an abortion. The paper furthers that this is due to, “...the profound stigma against abortion at the social level, a lack of knowledge by women and health providers of the legal criteria under which an abortion can be obtained, and the absence of sufficient state-level mechanisms to allow women who legally qualify to actually obtain an abortion.”

Serious conversations must begin in Mexico. Mexican society as a whole must decrease the stigma surrounding reproductive health. There is already a promising trend in the changing opinions on abortion, but public knowledge on the subject must be enhanced. Abortion should not be treated as taboo or portrayed as evil, but as a necessary right for all Mexican women.  

My own grandmother gave birth to sixteen children and has over fifty-five grandchildren, which is typical amongst rural Mexican communities. Contraception and reproductive health services have not been and still remain unavailable to many poor and rural Mexican families. A study published in the National Library of Health notes that despite increased investment in family planning services, large disparities continue to exist, especially amongst rural and indigenous communities in Mexico. The Mexican government has an obligation to make reproductive services more accessible so as to ensure the safety of those seeking to terminate a pregnancy. 

In addition, more must be done to separate the voice of the Catholic Church in Mexican society and political affairs. I am a Mexican-American myself, as well as a Catholic. I am thankful my parents permitted me to formulate my own opinions about the world, and especially about politics. Unfortunately, this freedom of opinion is not present in many Mexican and Catholic circles. Abortion is never considered a serious and fundamental right for women, but rather a shocking plot device used for entertainment purposes in the almost satirical depictions of Mexican telenovelas.

While I attended a secular high school, many of my friends that remained in Catholic school learned about reproductive health not in their biology lab, but in religion class. I continue to find a balance in my life between my many competing identities, but nevertheless, I am proud to remain independently Catholic, Mexican, and feminist. This balance is what we seek.

Paulina Ramirez represents many years of suffering and fighting to reach this climactic point in the struggle for reproductive autonomy in Mexico. Just a baby herself, preteen Paulina became a martyr for a powerful wave of women’s rights activists in Mexico. Their work has created a resounding ripple effect, successfully permeating the traditional, conservative values of Mexican politics. The next step in this story must be the complete upheaval of the society which has empowered this repressive structure. As Mexican women, we must call upon our strength, our fuerza.