Experts defend autonomy of Mexican states to protect life

Mexico City, Mexico, Sep 7, 2010 / 19:58 pm

Two prominent experts in Mexico spoke out this week in defense of state autonomy, saying the 17 Mexican states that have enacted constitutional measures to defend human life are acting within their authority.

Nancy Moreno, director of the Institute for Formation in Family Values, and Clara Perez Esparza, director of the organization Code Woman, said Mexican states are autonomous and have full freedom to pass and implement the laws they consider most fit for society.

They also noted that a majority of Mexicans support the defense of human life, which is reflected in the actions of the 17 state congresses to enact pro-life legislation.

“It is a tangible fact that the Congresses of almost two-thirds of the country’s states have freely, legitimately, legally and democratically ratified their conviction to enshrine the defense of the right to life, especially for the unborn children of pregnant women.  For this reason, the 17 constitutional reforms that have been approved in Mexico in support of the right to life in Mexico are legal, in force and have the support of the majority of civil society,” Moreno said.

Esparza noted that from the legal point of view, the sovereign nature of the 17 states that have modified their laws to elevate the defense of life to the constitutional level cannot be ignored. She pointed out that the reforms passed do not criminalize women or punish them with imprisonment, but rather are intended to promote Constitutional change in support of human dignity and the protection of women and children.

No other human right can be guaranteed or respected without the right to life being guaranteed first, she said.