Mexico's Supreme Court upholds abortion rights nationwide, paving way for federal access

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the Supreme Court building where Ministers elected a new President for the Supreme Court, in Mexico City, Mexico January 2, 2023.REUTERS/Henry Romero

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a federal law criminalizing abortion, reaffirming an earlier ruling that criminal penalties for abortion were unconstitutional and allowing the federal healthcare system to provide services.

Mexico's highest court, which consists of 11 justices, declared that criminal penalties for abortion were unconstitutional in 2021, but the ruling only applied to the northern state of Coahuila, where that case originated.