Women and Access

Feminist theorist Joan Scott advocates for the inclusion of women in historical analysis in her piece "Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis." By examining the ways in which institutions, organizations, and individuals interacted to include abortion in their policy making, we observed how women are included in the development of Mexico as a nation. Although abortion was allowed under extenuating circumstances, significant barriers to access still existed because of inconsistent policies and insufficient distribution of accurate information. In reaction to the 2007 decriminalization of abortion in Mexico City, other states restricted policy to reaffirm their beliefs about gender roles and the organization of women within society.

In the years leading up to and the years following the 2007 decriminalization of abortion in Mexico City, the Catholic Church has become more conservative, and a divide is now present between conservation and liberal catholics. The emergence of pro-life and pro-choice organizations affiliated with the Catholic Church depict a social environment within Mexico that still very much values catholic doctrine. Yet, the Catholic Church has yet to frame the issue of abortion as an issue specific to those with the ability to give birth which is not uncommon in history. However, within the Catholic Church as an institution, the history of abortion and the present state of the issue is still not regarded in a historical context specific to women; it is regarded as a family and broader church community issue. In order to provoke greater change, catholic pro-choice movements should frame the issue in a way consistent with Scott’s theory which seeks to understand the social processes, between institutions, organizations, and individuals, with an understanding of gender dynamics.

On the other hand, feminist organizations utilize gender not as a limiting factor in the analysis of abortion and reproductive issues but rather as a tool in understanding how women and the issues pertaining to their lives have been crafted by their historical positioning as subjects regulated by and through various institutions.

The passage of the policy is significant because it acknowledges the importance of reproductive rights, especially abortion, in the economic and social development of Mexico and constructs a national identity that grants rights to women. However, because of the policy inconsistencies across states and the significant barriers that still exist, these rights are not as extensive as they could be. The 2007 decriminalization of abortion law in Mexico City is far more a symbolic demonstration for the domestic and international sphere.