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.
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.
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.”
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
Florida officials warn against raw milk after dozens sickened
Unprocessed milk from a farm in Florida has sickened at least 21 people, prompting state authorities to issue a public health alert, U.S. media reported Monday.
The 21 cases include six children under the age of 10, all diagnosed with infections caused by E. coli and Campylobacterbacteria linked to raw milk from the farm in the southeastern U.S. state. Local authorities have also warned about the dangers of drinking unpasteurized milk.
Seven people have been hospitalized, two of whom have suffered complications, according to multiple reports.
The Florida Department of Health has urged the public to avoid raw milk consumption and blamed the outbreak on the farm involved—without naming it directly—citing poor sanitary practices.
Florida law prohibits the sale of unprocessed milk for human consumption, although it can be sold if labeled for pets. Pasteurization, which involves heating milk to kill harmful bacteria, is required under U.S. federal regulations for any dairy products sold across states.
Despite these regulations, sales of raw milk have been increasing in recent years, fueled by online promotion from wellness influencers and advocates of unprocessed foods.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that raw milk can contain potentially deadly bacteria such as E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, or Salmonella, which can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea, vomiting, and indigestion to severe complications like kidney failure.
International
Massive wildfire in Southern France kills one, injures nine
Hundreds of firefighters battled on Wednesday to contain a massive wildfire in southern France that has left one person dead and nine others injured.
The blaze, which broke out Tuesday in the Aude department, is the largest recorded in France during the current summer season. Authorities have deployed 1,800 firefighters in an effort to bring it under control.
An elderly woman died in her home in the town of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, while two others were injured—one in serious condition due to burns—according to the local prefecture. Seven firefighters suffered smoke inhalation injuries, and one person remains missing. The wildfire has already scorched an estimated 12,000 hectares of land.
“The fire is spreading very quickly due to unfavorable weather conditions. This is one of the driest areas of the department, and strong winds are fueling the flames,” said Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude prefecture. Rémi Recio, subprefect for the city of Narbonne, added, “The fire is still spreading and is far from being contained or under control.”
The A9 motorway, which runs along the Mediterranean coast between France and Spain, has been closed in both directions between Narbonne and Perpignan, along with numerous secondary roads.
In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the smell of smoke lingers over the charred hectares. A helicopter was seen drawing water from the river below the village and dropping it several kilometers away, AFP reporters observed.
A campsite and at least one village were partially evacuated, with 25 houses and around 35 vehicles damaged, according to a preliminary assessment.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou announced he will visit the affected area on Wednesday.
International
Japan marks 80 years since Hiroshima bombing with call for nuclear disarmament
Japan observed a minute of silence on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a solemn reminder to the world of the horror it unleashed, amid heightened tensions between nuclear powers the United States and Russia.
At exactly 8:15 a.m. local time (23:15 GMT), the moment when the U.S. bomber Enola Gay dropped the “Little Boy” atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, the city paused to remember.
The bombing claimed an estimated 140,000 lives, not only from the devastating blast and fireball but also from the deadly radiation that followed. Three days later, another bomb dropped on Nagasaki killed 74,000 more. Japan’s surrender on August 15 marked the end of World War II.
On a sweltering morning, hundreds of students, survivors, and officials dressed in black laid flowers at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The city’s mayor, Kazumi Matsui, warned of “an accelerating trend toward military buildup worldwide,” citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that Japan has a mission “to take the lead toward a world without nuclear weapons.”
Today, Hiroshima is a thriving metropolis of 1.2 million people, yet the skeletal remains of one building still stand at its center as a powerful reminder of the tragedy.
Wednesday’s ceremony was attended by representatives from around 120 countries and regions, including delegates from Taiwan and Palestine for the first time.
Among the attendees was 96-year-old Yoshie Yokoyama, who arrived in a wheelchair accompanied by her grandson. She told reporters that her parents and grandparents were victims of the bombing.
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