Luisa Sanchez Fuentes
Speeches:
-
Different strategies to legalize abortion: Successes and lessons from Mexico
María Luisa Sánchez Fuentes (Mexico)
GIRE, México
maluisasf@gmail.com
On April 24, 2007, abortion became legal on demand up to 12 weeks of gestation in Mexico City. Women for the very first time were considered full citizens with fundamental rights that must be recognized and protected by the Mexican constitution. What were the key factors that explain this historic change, in spite of the power and belligerence of the Catholic Church hierarchy in Mexico and the Latin American region? What strategies were vital to seize the political opportunity? What has changed after a year of legal abortion services? What are the most important social changes and what challenges lie ahead?