Mexican Women ARE Making Progress

By AdventureDad on April 25th, 2007 Print This Post Email This Post

Two weeks ago I talked about how Mexican women slowly are making progress in society. They have a long way to go but are becoming less oppressed than the previous generation. Yesterday's historic vote to legalize abortion in Mexico City during a pregnancy's first three months is a another sign of progress that makes Mexico a leader among Latin countries.

Abortion is a hot potato to discuss. My own beliefs are mostly based on logic and common sense, not religion. I'm pro-choice and believe a woman should be able to chose what do to during a pregnancy. Of course I hope women act in a morally and ethically correct way, but that is beyond my control. I don't for a second believe in following rules that were discussed thousands of years ago, that makes no sense to me.

Acting in a responsible way means to me not using abortion as a contraceptive and only using it in serious situations. Downs syndrome, other serious birth defects, extremely low age, or health issues for the mother could be possible reasons for an abortion.

Abortion rules here in Sweden are relaxed but the abortion rate is still the same as in U.S. It's legal to make an abortion during the first 18 weeks of a pregnancy without questions asked. After that you need a damn good reason, and government approval, to perform an abortion.

The decision in Mexico is especially interesting because of the U.S. Supreme court decision last week banning late abortions. My understanding of that decision, which could be incorrect, is that it only affects abortions very late in a pregnancy. Like in week 30. I see no reason why people can't make up their mind earlier and strongly disagree with an abortion in this late stage unless it's a question of life and death or the baby has some deadly disease. The problem I see with the ban is that it doesn't contain possible exceptions when a woman's life is in danger.

Women are making progress across the globe. Some faster than others. People might have issues with allowing abortions but the real breakthrough is giving women more power and independance. The Latin women are not as oppressed as many Asian and African countries but they are still second class citizens. Which is a shame since society would be much better off with more influential women.

My own beliefs are biased since I grew up in a country where equal rights for men and women in society are a priority. And the country has come further than any other in this area, making it a superb spot to live and an incredible place to raise a family. I doubt Mexico, especially Mexico City, will ever reach that far but it's a goal to aim for.

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