ABSTRACT
This chapter begins in the 1970s with the emergence of modern Mexican feminism because Mexican feminists were dramatically outspoken in their challenges to the penalization of abortion in their country. It shifts to the 1980s and 1990s as non-governmental organizations and the United Nations became more prominent in bolstering feminist campaigns for the legalization of abortion. The chapter demonstrates that demands for abortion rights have consistently been central to Mexican feminism since the 1970s. The emphasis on human rights among feminists in Mexico has been particularly significant since 2011 when Mexico reformed its constitution to “incorporate human rights standards included in international treaties to which Mexico is part into the Mexican Constitution”. In Mexico, feminist activism of the 1970s primarily emerged from student movements and left organizations in the urban context of Mexico City and around the 1975 International Women’s Year Conference held in Mexico City.
