By
Tom Schwab

Within the last few years, more and more Mexican women have been committing the same type of crime - abortion.

This, despite the strong influence of the Catholic Church and Mexicoís strict anti-abortion laws. Yolanda Gallegos, spokeswoman at the Mexican Cultural Institute, commented on the current abortion law and its impact on Mexican women. "The law needs to be over-turned," said Gallegos. "It just isnít fair for these women because they have no other choice, thanks to our economy, and that is why more and more women are getting them (abortions)."Gallegos said that thousands of women are opting to have the procedure done illegally, leading some to call for a new debate in Congress.

Under Mexicoís current law, abortion is permitted only in cases of genetic deformities, rape or danger to the health of the mother. But Gallegos said that economic conditions have played a role in the number of abortions."For some itís just an easy way of getting out of a potential, financial burden," said Gallegos. But Philip Thompson, a debate coach at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, said women who have received the procedures have also escaped the lawís penalties. "I donít think that the law is that enforceable," said Thompson. "If you have the money, you can find a real doctor who would be willing to do that."Thompson, who has spent several years in Mexico, said he believes that itís the poor people that are in need of adequate health care. "The economic situation can have a dramatic effect on the poor," said Thompson. "The government needs to put more resources in its public health system, especially for them."

Mary Houwser, a counselor at Pregnancy Centers Incorporated, shares Thompsonís views that the health care system needs to be changed. "If youíre going to tell somebody that abortion is illegal, you have to balance that with 99-100 percent service, and that has to be an improvement with health care and education," said Houwser. "This is something Mexico has failed to do." Houwser said that in underdeveloped countries such as Mexico, women are discouraged to have children usually due to harsh economic conditions, and said she thinks that Mexico should decriminalize abortion because of the substantial increase in number. "Last year, more than 500,000 women in Mexico had illegal abortions," said Houwser. "Out of those, 1,500 of them died during the procedure."Houwser is not alone. The statistics have also prompted calls by activists to decriminalize abortion in Mexico.But Gallegos said that the Catholic Church remains a powerful institution in Mexico and has successfully lobbied to block any abortion debate among lawmakers."There are groups such as Pro-Vida that argue for a change in socioeconomic conditions and not the law," said Gallegos.

In fact, according to the 1998 World Almanac, more than half of the population lives in poverty and most Mexicans earn far less than $10 a day.The strict abortion laws are not the only things causing concern among activists. Gallegos said that Pro-Vida is appealing to the Mexican government to cease the practice of sterilizations that thousands of poor Mexican women are being subjected to and the Associated Press (AP) reports that the government is also calling for an end to tortilla subsidies. For millions of impoverished Mexicans, tortillas are a major staple in their diet. This has sparked fear among Mexicans that they will no longer be able to afford them.

Thompson, the Marist Collegeís debate coach, said that government needs to take a closer look at how these latest events are affecting the destitute."Itís just a testament to how bad the economic situation can be for some people and the government has to solve these problems," said Thompson.However, according to Houwser, Mexicoís Congress seems unwilling to tackle these controversial issues. "Itís just not something they are focusing on right now," said Houwser. "However, I do think that once they feel the pressure from pro-choice groups, they may reexamine their stance."