Despite the lack of legislation on the legal interruption of pregnancy in Querétaro, ISSSTE hospitals in the region are obliged to carry out this medical procedure by court order, according to Martí Batres, the general director of the organization. On January 24, a decree was issued in the Official Gazette of the Federation stating that the institute must provide abortion services to its insured patients, supported by the declaration of unconstitutionality regarding the criminalization of abortion by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation in September 2023.
In this regard, Batres highlighted that all ISSSTE hospitals in the country must follow the decree, regardless of whether abortion is decriminalized in the states where they are located. "The Court's ruling on the matter is valid throughout the national territory, precisely because it has not been approved in all congresses; that is why the Court intervened," he pointed out.
The director noted that currently 19 states in Mexico allow legal interruption of pregnancy, and stated that the Court intervened to guarantee this right for women throughout the national territory. To date, there are no records of any abortions in ISSSTE hospitals in Querétaro, where the state Penal Code establishes up to three years in prison for the crime of abortion, except in cases of rape or negligence.
Batres reported that ISSSTE is in the process of developing an action protocol for medical staff. "So far, we are not aware of any and a suitable health protocol is being prepared," he concluded.
