International

Safe abortion and without stigma, one of the biggest claims of Mexican women this March 8

Despite the fact that abortion is already legalized in more than 20 of the 32 states of Mexico, many women and pregnant people continue to face barriers to access a safe, timely and stigma-free procedure, a latent claim in the country on the eve of International Women’s Day this Saturday.

Women who have aborted, networks of companions and civil organizations agree that the legal deadlines and causes are insufficient to guarantee this right, and, on the contrary, complicate safe and timely access for most Mexican women.

A few days after the decriminalization in the state of Michoacán (west) last October, Citlalli had to travel to Mexico City to interrupt an unwanted pregnancy, after going through a series of obstacles that prevented her from doing so in her locality.

She was 22 weeks old when she was able to access a safe abortion, although from the beginning she was convinced of her decision, hindered by misinformation and stigma, after the first attempt the medicine failed and she could not go to a clinic for an outpatient procedure.

“And time kept passing,” the woman who preferred to change her name because of the criminalization that persists in the country shared with EFE.

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Michoacán is one of the 22 states that have decriminalized voluntary abortion, although limited to 12 weeks, except for Sinaloa (13 weeks) and Aguascalientes, which reduced it to six.

Citlalli was able to travel to Mexico City to abort, thanks to local networks and groups directing her to the Maria Fund, of the NGO Balance, where they provided her with accompaniment and financial support, without which, she says, she would “have had no choice but to have the baby and would not have been able to access a safe abortion.”

Like her, thousands of Mexican women abort in the capital, but many more remain in their states at risk of having unsafe procedures or continuing with pregnancy, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling in 2021 that prevents the criminalization of abortion throughout the country.

Mexico City opened the way in 2007 to free abortion until the first trimester, reforming its laws and opening clinics of Legal Interruption of Pregnancy (ILE), which this 2025 turn 18 years of operating.

Despite being legal, the stigma and lack of medical training have also left their mark on the capital, such as Gaby, who five years ago had an abortion in a public clinic, but faced violence from medical personnel.

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Doctors and nurses tried to condition the treatment by refusing to have an intrauterine contraceptive device placed on him, Gaby said, and then they mocked and ridiculed his decision.

“I felt that I was fighting, for my rights (…) and I think that many women feel exactly the same,” said the young woman who tried to report in the clinic, but only found a complaint box and there was never a follow-up, something she continues to claim in every feminist protest.

“I have gone out to march to shout with my sisters for our rights, for this whole patriarchal system that oppresses us so much, that violents us all the time,” he said.

Eliminating abortion from the Criminal Code is one of the main demands of the feminist movement in Mexico, which resonate strongly since last November, when the Congress of the capital was about to eliminate the deadlines for free access.

“The 12 weeks (of gestation) are not enough,” warned Gabriela Millán, of the María Fund, since different barriers intervene access and affect “disproportionately people who are in vulnerable situations.”

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The proposal continues in the legislative field, “at the historical maximum it had reached,” said Francisco Cué Martínez, of the Information Group in Selected Reproduction (GIRE).

“It is a real paradigm shift that allows (…) to abandon once and for all that the penal system to determine who, when and how can access a basic health service,” said the lawyer.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.

International

Oil prices surge again as Middle East tensions persist

Oil prices climbed again on Friday for a second consecutive session, as markets remained concerned about a prolonged conflict in the Middle East with no tangible diplomatic progress.

North Sea Brent crude for May delivery rose 4.22% to close at $112.57 per barrel.

Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) approached the $100 mark, settling at $99.64, up 5.46%.

The decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to delay by ten days his ultimatum for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz failed to reassure market participants.

“It means there will be ten additional days of disruptions in the Middle East for crude and refined product flows,” said Andy Lipow, of Lipow Oil Associates.

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“For prices to come down, a resolution to the conflict is necessary,” Lipow added. “And even in the event of a ceasefire, it is not certain that Iran would allow oil shipments to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.”

International

Young Spanish Woman Receives Euthanasia After Legal Battle, Sparking Debate

A 25-year-old Spanish woman, Noelia Castillo, received euthanasia on Thursday following a prolonged legal dispute with her father.

She passed away at a care center in Sant Pere de Ribes, about 40 kilometers from Barcelona, where she had been living for some time, according to Spanish media reports.

In an interview broadcast a day earlier on Antena 3, Castillo expressed her exhaustion after enduring prolonged suffering. She indicated that her decision was influenced by a combination of personal circumstances and health-related challenges, including family conflicts and a condition of paraplegia following a previous incident that left her with lasting physical consequences.

Spain legalized euthanasia in 2021, becoming one of the few countries that allow patients under strict conditions to seek medical assistance to end their lives in order to avoid what the law defines as unbearable suffering.

The case has reignited debate in Spain over the ethical, legal, and family dimensions surrounding euthanasia, as well as the broader issue of support for individuals in vulnerable situations.