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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | July 2005 
Gov't Approval Angers Activists Against Abortion
 Wire services
| | A pro-life group filed an appeal against the introduction of the contraceptive. |
Anti-abortion activists and clerics have filed a legal challenge with the Supreme Court as the government makes the morning-after birth control pill widely available at government hospitals and health clinics, plaintiffs in the case announced Wednesday.
A new law enacted Monday will provide the pill as a basic medication at 19,000 government health facilities within about four months. The treatment involves a hormone compound given in two doses 12 hours apart, and can be taken days after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy.
The appeal filed on behalf of the civic group Culture of Life and clerics including Roman Catholic Archbishop of Guadalajara Juan Sandoval Iñíguez argues that the pill not only prevents pregnancies but also can stop them shortly after conception. The Constitution protects the "product of conception," they noted.
"The General Law of Health defines pregnancy as from the moment of conception," said Jorge Serrano, president of Culture of Life. "What's happening is that the pills ... are being distributed in an irresponsible way."
Women's rights activists have welcomed the government's decision to make morning-after birth control a basic medication at government hospitals and health clinics, with some demanding the pills also be made available at police stations for use by rape victims.
The government clinics provide medications at reduced prices for those who qualify.
The legal challenge announced on Wednesday already has been turned away by a Mexico City court, said Marcial Pérez, an attorney who prepared the appeal.
The lower court found the plaintiffs did not have the medical standing to challenge a 2004 modification to government health regulations that paved the way for wider distribution of the pill, he said.
The Supreme Court confirmed Wednesday that the appeal had been received, but declined to say whether the case would be heard.
The Health Secretariat has suspended federal funds to a separate anti-abortion group led by Jorge Serrano, who also faces sanctions on charges of improper use of government funds. |
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