An effort to change Mexico’s constitution to legalize abortion and embrace gender ideology has been put on hold, at the direction of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
López Obrador said at a press conference last week that “when there are highly controversial confrontational issues, points of view, the best thing is to consult the citizens.”
According to a report at Catholic News Agency, López Obrador urged legislators to consult their constituents before voting on controversial issues such as abortion and gender ideology.
“Let the people decide,” he said at an April 14 press conference. CNA explained that López Obrador was referring to a type of “informal referendum without the force of law conducted by party members among their constituencies in order to determine or justify government policy.”
The news service said that on March 11, a committee in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies issued a favorable opinion on constitutional reforms that “open the door to legalizing abortion and imposing gender ideology.” CNA said:
Controversial terms that would be inserted in the constitution include “reproductive autonomy,” “free development of the personality,” “sexual and reproductive health services,” “gender expression,” “same-sex marriages,” “substantive equality,” “sexual and genital identity,” and generic sexes.
Rodrigo Iván Cortés, president of the National Front for the Family, told CNA, “We can say that for now this is being sent to the‘ freezer,’ but we must not drop our guard.”
Abortion is illegal in most of Mexico except for Mexico City and the State of Oaxaca. In December, Argentina legalized abortion, making it the first large country in Latin America to do so.