Politics
Thursday April 24, 2008
Mexico City Official Admits that Decriminalization has Increased the Number of Abortions
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
MEXICO CITY, April 24, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Mexico City's Secretary of Health, Manuel Mondragón, admits that the legalization of abortion in the city "has tended to increase" the abortion rate, but in his opinion, "not in a disproportionate way", according to the French Press Agency.
The admission by a pro-abortion politician that legalizing abortion increases its frequency is rare.
Since Mexico City passed the Law of Legal Interruption of Pregnancy a little over a year ago, approximately 7,820 abortions have been carried out by city medical personnel. The law is currently being disputed before the nation's Supreme Court by federal officials who are arguing that it is a human rights violation.
Despite the admitted increase in abortions, the number performed in Mexico City during the past year was far less per capita than in developed countries, where abortion is more socially acceptable.
Mexico's relatively low abortion rate is partially attributable to a strong pro-life tendency in the culture. One Mexico City resident who said she had had a legal abortion acknowledged in a recent interview that women find it difficult to seek an abortion in Mexico because of the "social rejection" they are likely to experience.
Another woman who obtained an abortion because her birth control failed, identified by only her first name, Alejandra, admitted to the BBC that she can't tell her family what happened because "it is a topic that creates conflict".
Polls indicate a strong opposition to abortion, and a plurality of voters are opposed to further decriminalization. Although abortion is not penalized in cases of rape or fetal deformity in most states, officials are sometimes reluctant to allow abortions even in those cases.
Mexico's strong pro-life tendency is also reflected in attitudes of doctors. Doctor Jorge Nava Flores, Chief of Gynecology at one of the hospitals where abortions are performed, admitted to the BBC in a recent interview it is already difficult to find doctors who are willing to commit abortions.
However, despite this problem, Mondragón has announced plans to expand the availability of abortion in Mexico City. It is currently provided in only 14 hospitals.
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase out Lab Rats
- Ohio Supreme Court Allows Planned Parenthood to Conceal Abortion Records in Sexual Abuse Case
- LifeSiteNews Canada Day and Independence Day Message. Taking a few days off. LSN returns Monday July 6
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Pro-Life Groups Announce New Colorado Personhood Initiative
- Judge Puts Kibosh on DC Gay "Marriage" Referendum
- Al Franken Win Hands Supermajority to Senate Democrats
- Group Funded by Canadian Bishops' D&P Joins with Others to Denounce the "Natural Family" and "Family Rights"
- Financially Troubled Planned Parenthood of El Paso Closes Doors
- Abortion Linked to Subsequent Pre-Term Births, New Research Again Confirms
- New Orleans Homosexual Couple Ask Fed. Court to Overturn Marriage Amendment
- Slim Hope Of New Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Leader Promoting Pro-Life, Pro-Family Issues
- Pope Accepts Resignation of Bishop Caught Involved in Homosexual Encounters
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Northern Ireland Politician Cleared of Wrongdoing after Reiterating Christian Teaching on Homosexual Acts
- UK Conservative Leader Speaks at Gay Pride Fundraiser
- More Letters to the Editor on Canadian Catholic Development and Peace Scandal (July 1)
- Letters to the Editor - Readers Respond to Development and Peace Scandal
- Watch This Dramatic New Video on Catholic Bishops Conference Funding of Pro-Abortion Groups
Most Read this Week
- Homosexual Duke U. Director Charged with Offering Adopted 5-Year-Old for Sex
- Famed Fr. Corapi Calls Canadian Bishops' Dissent from Humanae Vitae "Catastrophic"
- Pope: It is a Childish Faith to Oppose the Church Teaching on Life and Family
- LifeSiteNews Detailed Response to Canadian Bishops' Whitewash Report on Development and Peace
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Is Pro-Choice the New Pro-Life?
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase Out Lab Rats
- Swedish Parents Won't Tell if Child is Boy or Girl as Gender Experiment
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.