The Vatican was facing one of its greatest challenges yesterday to its stance on abortion after the act was legalised in Mexico City
Sources at the Holy See, which campaigned against the law change, said there was a mood of disappointment and a deep fear that the rest of Mexico and other Latin American countries might follow suit.
Riot police sperate Anti-abortion from pro-choice activists
The legislative assembly in Mexico City voted 46 to 19 on Tuesday to remove the one-to-three year prison term for those who abort within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Those who abort after 12 weeks will still face prosecution.
The National Action Party, which supports the Roman Catholic Church, pledged to appeal at the Supreme Court.
One source at the Vatican, who declined to be named, said: "There is still time to change the situation, we can hope for a court ruling."
Although the Church is forbidden in Mexico to engage in politics, it has made no secret of its position in the debate. Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, the Archbishop of Mexico, has already lodged a complaint that the change violates the constitution.
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The Catholic Church has collected more than 70,000 signatures to petition for a referendum on the issue.
The Vatican has so far declined to comment publicly. It said yesterday that it would wait for a statement from the Mexican Episcopal Conference, which will shortly meet to "examine the new law in the light of the Gospel".
Under a 1988 Vatican ruling, anyone submitting to or practising abortion is automatically excommunicated.
Earlier this week, Archbishop Angelo Amato, the second most important authority on doctrine in the Roman Curia, said that abortion was as "repugnant" as "terrorism".
Rome had worked hard behind the scenes to try to swing the vote in Mexico, and Pope Benedict himself had intervened, sending a letter to encourage Mexican bishops to stand firm.
"In this Easter period, we are celebrating the triumph of life," said the Pope. "I exhort you to protect this great gift firmly, the right to life of everyone from the first instant of conception, in the face of whatever opponents from the culture of death." Last weekend, the Vatican sent Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, the head of the Pontifical Council for the Family and its top anti-abortion campaigner, in a last-dash bid to change the minds of Mexican politicians.
More than 500,000 Mexican women seek illegal abortions every year, and more than 2,000 die as a result of botched procedures. The figures are equally grim across South America, with four million women undergoing underground terminations annually, according to the United Nations.
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