• Marieke G van Dijk, Diana Lara, and Sandra G García.
• Reproductive Health Program, Population Council Office, Mexico.
• Salud Publica Mex. 2007 Nov 1;49(6):394-400.

ObjectiveIn the last decade, important advances were made in the struggle for reproductive rights in Mexico. The goal of this study was to discover the opinions of decision-makers about the grounds for legal abortion as well as to explore their perceptions about further liberalization of abortion laws countrywide.Material And MethodsIn-depth interviews were conducted with eight prominent decision-makers working in governmental health, law and social institutions as well as representatives of political parties.ResultsSix decision-makers favored a further liberalization of abortion laws. They proposed several strategies to move forward with liberalization. Two decision-makers were against abortion under all circumstances.ConclusionsThree factors seem to play a key role in the liberalization of abortion: a liberal party governing at the state level, a favorable public opinion and the pressure of NGOs promoting reproductive rights. A state-by-state approach seems more effective for generating changes in abortion laws.

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