The article i read this week was about Veronica Cruz, an abortion activist that is being honoured by the Human Rights Watch for her work in the area of abortion access for survivors of sexual assault. The article discusses that in Mexico rape victims are legally entitled to get an abortion, but that this process is made difficult and unsafe for many due to social and religious stigma. Cruz advocated and organized rallies around access to abortion, as her state faced a potential law change, which would overturn 30 years of legal abortion for rape victims.
The article then explores the social and legal issues that make access to abortion so challenging for women in Mexico. The definitions of rape, assault, incest, and the age of consent all act as further restrictions for women seeking legal abortion, and lead women in desperate situations into back alleys and illegal and unsafe 'clinics'.
This topic is a Human Rights issue because "When abortion is criminalized, as it generally is in Mexico,... the rights to equality, nondiscrimination, life, health and physical integrity [are threatened]."
This article was pretty interesting and progressive. you can check it out http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/10/17/mexico14404.htm
Cruz is receiving her award on November 2nd.


tag: last301