Members of a conservative anti-abortion collective will march Saturday to demand that the right to life from conception to death is enshrined in Jalisco’s proposed new constitution.
Jaime Cedillo, the spokesperson for the Frente Nacional por la Familia, said any new constitution should also define marriage as being between a man and a woman.
The forthcoming debate may be a contentious one. Since 2008, at least 16 Mexican states have amended their constitutions to protect the right to life from either fertilization or conception. However, most international and regional human rights bodies, as well as courts worldwide, have established that any prenatal protections must be consistent with women’s human rights.
Morena, the majority party in the federal Chamber of Deputies, announced this week that a bill to decriminalize abortion will be presented during the upcoming legislative session.
Following a Supreme Court ruling in 2017, Jalisco now allows same-sex couples to marry, although state legislators have failed to amend the constitution to reflect this.
Some pro-choice groups have announced on social media that they will organize a counter demonstration on Saturday.
The Frente Nacional por la Familia march begins at 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 21 at the Minerva Glorieta.