World IN BRIEF : MEXICO : New Abortion Code Reforms on Hold

Lawmakers in the southern state of Chiapas announced that they will delay enacting a controversial measure that could increase the number of legal abortions. The state legislature said the National Human Rights Commission should review abortion revisions in the Chiapas state constitution before they are allowed to take effect. The reforms, approved in October, allow abortion within the first three months of pregnancy for family planning purposes. Previously, Chiapas has permitted abortions only in cases of rape, risk to a mother’s life or diagnosed genetic problems in the fetus.