By Ana Báez
Mexico City (EFE).- Ninety years after the push for abortion decriminalization began in Mexico, a small group of women gathered on Monday in the capital to call for unity within a fragmented feminist movement. They warned that reproductive rights remain a privilege and noted that «the far right is advancing» across the region.
During the march marking the Global Day of Action for Legal and Safe Abortion, Yeya, a young Mexican protester, expressed anger over the small turnout, fewer than 100 people. She also voiced fear that hard-won rights could be rolled back after nearly a century of activism.
«It’s alarming to see how the far right has gained ground across Latin America,» Yeya told EFE, speaking anonymously for safety reasons. «Honestly, I’m scared. Mexico and Brazil have held out so far, but at any moment, they could strip away my rights and those of my friends.»
The remaining protesters continue to rally in a country where 7 of 32 states still criminalize abortion. Although the Supreme Court declared criminalization unconstitutional in 2023 and ordered federal lawmakers to remove abortion from the penal code, Congress has yet to act.
As thin ranks marched from the Monument to the Revolution to the Zócalo, Mexico City’s main plaza, Yeya argued it is time to consult older generations (mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers) to grasp the reality of living without a right that remains heavily stigmatized.
«Personally, I would have preferred for my grandmother or great-grandmother to have had the choice to abort rather than be forced to give birth, because I know they had dreams and goals of their own,» she reflected.
Child pregnancies and medical lag
Dr. Lucero Sánchez, a general practitioner and member of the collective Médica Verde Violeta, agreed that the battle is far from won. She pointed out that many medical professionals still refuse to perform legal terminations in the capital and other regions.
Sánchez added that refusals spike when dealing with underage pregnancies, often based on the misconception that abortion is an unsafe procedure for minors.
«International guidelines clearly confirm the safety of these procedures, which carry far lower risks than carrying a pregnancy to term at that age,» she stressed. «Lack of awareness remains widespread, and medical practice in Mexico is lagging behind.»
In 2025, Mexico recorded 85,357 pregnancies among girls under 17, with 5,876 involving children aged 10 to 14, according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).
Regarding outdated healthcare practices, Sánchez noted that Manual Vacuum Aspiration (a safe outpatient procedure) was only broadly introduced two years ago. Sharp-curettage dilatation and curettage (D&C), an invasive surgical scraping procedure, still predominates across the country.
«There is still a long road ahead,» said Sánchez, representing her network of over 200 healthcare professionals. «We may be few today, but we are here, and we will keep fighting for these rights for all women.»
The debate over legal abortion in Mexico dates back to 1936, when Cuban advocate Ofelia Domínguez Navarro published ‘Abortion for Social and Economic Reasons,’ framing reproductive choice as a matter of public health and social equity. EFE
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