Mexico's President Lopez Obrador says legalizing abortion should be a 'decision for women'

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has stated that the decision to legalize abortion should be made by women.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday (December 31), 67-year-old President Lopez Obrador was asked whether or not Mexico should follow Argentina in legalizing abortion for women.

In response, Lopez Obrador said that "it's a decision for women", Reuters reports.

He added that mechanisms existed to organize referendums, stating: "It’s just that matters of this nature should not be decided from above."

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However, recognizing that the subject is a controversial one, Lopez Obrador did not share his opinion on the matter.

As of this writing, abortion is only legal in two of Mexico's states - Mexico City and the state of Oaxaca. Throughout the rest of the country, the practice remains illegal unless under exceptional circumstances, such as rape or to save the life of the mother.

And per Human Rights Watch, in 13 of Mexico's 32 states, a woman can abort her unborn child if it’s found to have genetic malformations.

Additionally, in the state of Yucatán alone, a woman may also undergo an abortion if she already has three other children. This is due to economic reasons.

A poll published back in September 2019 by newspaper El Financiero found that out of 15,000 adults, 63% of them were against the right to abortion, with just 32% in favor.

The survey showed that abortion only had majority support in Mexico City and the state of Baja California.

This comes after the South American country of Argentina legalized abortion on Wednesday (December 30), in a groundbreaking movement for women's rights.

Per The Guardian, Argentina is now the largest Latin American country to legalize abortion - but is still only the third South American nation to allow elective abortions.

[[imagecaption|| Two women hug each other celebrating the approval of the "Legal Interruption of Pregnancy" law outside the National Congress building in Buenos Aires. Credit: PA Images]]

The bill was put to congress by the country's center-left president, Alberto Fernández, who tweeted in celebration following upon the law's successful passing.

"Safe, legal, and free abortion is now law," Fernández wrote, adding: "Today we are a better society."

As the result was announced at just after 4:00AM on Wednesday, jubilant celebrations erupted among the crowds that had gathered outside Congress in the capital Buenos Aires.