Activists hail ruling to decriminalise abortion

Activists hailed a supreme court decision to decriminalise abortion, saying it would stop the legal prosecution of women who terminate their pregnancies – and those reported to the authorities after suffering miscarriages. The unanimous decision declared that criminal sanctions for abortion in the northern state of Coahuila were unconstitutional. The decision sets precedent, according to lawyers involved in abortion cases, and will be applicable across the country and retrospectively. A government spokesperson was uncertain how many women would be released.