Numerous organizations in the Mexican state of Queretaro celebrated a ruling by the State Supreme Court upholding legal protection to the unborn from the moment of conception.

The ruling ratified the constitutional reform approved by the Queretaro Legislature last September.

In a statement, Rafael Mendoza of the Transforming Forum of the Society of Queretaro, which is an umbrella group of 60 different organizations, said the constitutional protection for the right to life expresses the will of the majority of the forum's members.

According to Notimex, Mendoza said the defense of life from conception to natural death is demonstrated in the majority of the population with 59,000 notarized signatures sent to congress “as a sign of our resounding support for the reform of the state Constitution to explicitly include the principle of the defense of life in the constitutional text.”

Mendoza also noted that the reform allows for the exceptions that are established in law and that it is in keeping with the Mexican Constitution and the international agreements ratified by the country.

He pointed out that if a mother obtains an abortion, she would not go to jail but would rather be required to undergo counseling and perform community service. 

Queretaro is among the 18 Mexican states that have enacted constitutional reforms to protect the unborn.