Court battle looms as Mexico City legalises abortion

MEXICO CITY lawmakers voted to legalise abortion during the first three months of pregnancy, a landmark decision likely to heighten church-state tensions in the Roman Catholic nation and lead to a bitter court battle.

Abortion rights advocates said they hoped the vote would be the start of a new trend across Mexico and other parts of Latin America, where only Cuba and Guyana permit women to have abortions on demand in the first trimester.

Most other Latin American countries allow it only in cases of rape or when the woman’s life is at risk.