The Congress of the State of Michoacán approved a reform to the Health Law that guarantees the voluntary interruption of pregnancy in public hospitals. The measure, supported by 26 votes in favor and six against, was backed by legislators from Morena, the Labor Party (PT), and the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM). This reform establishes that the service must be free, confidential, and accessible in State health institutions, as well as creating a state registry of procedures with personal data protection.
In contrast, deputies from the National Action Party (PAN) and a legislator from the PT voted against it, while representatives of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) were not present at the session. Opposing abortion groups protested outside the legislative chamber against the approval of the initiative. Legislators opposed to the ruling argued that the measure normalizes the interruption of pregnancy as a health service.
The decree will come into effect one day after being published in the Official State Newspaper. The local Health Secretariat will have 180 days to define specific guidelines. It is important to remember that the decriminalization of abortion in Michoacán had already been approved on October 10, 2024.
In Mexico, 22 states have approved the decriminalization of pregnancy interruption. Although in some, like Chihuahua and Nayarit, it was done following a ruling from the Supreme Court of Justice. The states that have approved decriminalization are Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, CDMX, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Edomex, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Veracruz, Yucatán, and Zacatecas.
