Mexico's Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Tuesday that penalizing abortion is unconstitutional, marking a major win for women's rights advocates and standing in stark contrast with the neighboring U.S. state of Texas which last week enacted a strict new ban.

The ruling means women across Mexico can now access abortion without fear of being prosecuted and potentially imprisoned.

Until now, abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy was only legal in four of the countries' 32 regions, including Mexico City. Elsewhere, the procedure was only permitted in cases of rape.

Arturo Zaldivar, president of the Mexican Supreme Court, hailed the decision as "a watershed moment" for all women, especially the most vulnerable.

"It is one more step in the historical struggle for (women's) equality, dignity and the full exercise of their rights," he said.

"From now on it will not be possible, without violating the criteria of the court and the constitution, to prosecute any woman who aborts in the cases that this court has considered valid."

The court's decision was the result of a legal challenge in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila, which recently banned abortion after six weeks, before most women known they are pregnant. The ruling however will apply to women all over Mexico.

In a statement, Coahuila's state government said the ruling would have retroactive effects and that any woman imprisoned for abortion should be released "immediately."

In the state capital Saltillo, women wearing green bandanas to symbolize the pro-choice movement, celebrated, shouting "abortion is no longer a crime!" The Information Group on Reproductive Choice (GIRE), which campaigns for abortion rights, called it a "historic ruling."

Unsafe abortion is the fourth leading cause of maternal death in Mexico, according to the group.

Mexico is a staunchly Catholic country and terminating a pregnancy was only made legal in Mexico City in 2007.

Tuesday's ruling however follows the historic legalization of abortion in Argentina, another majority Catholic country, late last year.

Among Latin American countries, only Uruguay, Cuba and Guyana also allow abortions. In other states, it is legal in cases of rape or where the mother's health is at risk. But El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Haiti continue to have an absolute ban on the practice.

The Mexican Supreme Court's decision also stands in contrast with recent efforts to limit abortion rights just across the border in the U.S.

Last week, the U.S Supreme Court decided against blocking a strict new Texas law that bans abortions after six weeks. The law also puts enforcement in the hands of private citizens, with individuals urged to report anyone who "aids or abets" a person seeking an abortion, with the promise of $10,000 in damages if this is proved in court.

(with input from Reuters, AFP)

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