.- The Congress of Mexican state of Puebla has approved a reform of the state constitution granting protection to human life from conception to natural death. The move is intended to ward off efforts to legalize abortion throughout the country.
The reform, led by the PAN party, was approved by 29 votes out of 41, including votes by members of the ruling PRI party, despite a commission of PRI federal lawmakers being sent to Puebla to try to stop the measure.
The Puebla Congress decided to modify article 26 of the Constitution, obliging the state to protect human life from conception to natural death.
The leader of the PRD party in Puebla, Irma Ramos Galindo, announced that the constitutionality of the reform would be challenged before the Mexican Supreme Court.
The state of Puebla is the fifth Mexican state to move to protect life in the wake of Mexico City legalizing abortion for cases of rape, incest and the health of the mother.
