Closure of Investigation Files for Abortion in CDMX

The Congress of Mexico City seeks to close investigations for abortion, which was decriminalized in 2021. The initiative is expected to be approved due to legislative support.


Closure of Investigation Files for Abortion in CDMX

The Congress of Mexico City is working on an initiative to close the open investigation files in the Attorney General's Office for the crime of abortion, as this was decriminalized by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation in September 2021.

Rebeca Peralta, vice president of the Human Rights Commission of the Mexico City Congress and promoter of the initiative, explained that currently the FGJCDMX is obliged to open investigations at the request of complainants, as the crime is still classified in the Penal Code of Mexico City. According to Peralta, this year 331 investigation files for abortion have been initiated in the capital's Prosecutor's Office, but she emphasized that this does not mean that the reported women will go to prison.

"We are looking for a way to close these files, as in the end no judge can punish someone for this crime," Rebeca Peralta stated. The legislator recalled that a bill was recently presented in the Congress of Mexico City to remove the crime of abortion from the local Penal Code, which she hopes will be approved without setbacks given the wide acceptance among legislators.

Peralta mentioned that with this measure Mexico City will become the first entity in the country to eliminate the crime of abortion from its Penal Code, and she underscored the importance of closing pending investigations as an act of justice for the women of the city. She also added that closing these investigations will prevent women from having to spend money and time on legal resources to assert the decriminalization of abortion by the Supreme Court.