Sunday, April 01, 2007

Is Mexico City the new New York?

Recently, Mexico City has passed some very liberal laws, such as gay friendly laws and now hopefully a pro-abortion law. It's about time.
This makes me think that soon DF will resemble NY not only in the copycat trendy restaurants and rising level of hipness, but more importantly in being a center for progressive politics and culture in a country that for the most part is still mired in conservative traditions. I think it's great.
The Catholic church has historically caused much damage to the poor in Mexico with its intransigent, unrealistic policies on family planning which only burden the poor and offer no real solutions. There is no compromise in contraception, no tolerance for abortion in the strident, irresponsible, deeply hypocritical stance of the Catholic church. Meanwhile hundreds of women may die or become infertile every year because of illegal abortions which everybody, both rich and poor, are having anyway. The poor run the risk of horrid illness or death from home remedies and gruesome procedures. The rich walk into private doctor offices, pay a few hundred dollars and get it done safely, though in secrecy. Luckily, Mexico still is a secular state with a strong separation of church and state and the despicable, unwelcome interventions from the Church are met with fierce resistance. But it is had to counter centuries of religious superstition and backwardness, especially among the poor, who have neither the education nor the resources to protect themselves from the thorough brainwashing of organized religion. I hope that the abortion law passes in Mexico City and at last all women in a dire situation will have resort to a healthy, dignified option to their predicaments, instead of the threat of fire and brimstone and premature death that is the Catholic Church's prescription.

No comments:

Post a Comment